US3601408A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Golf swing training apparatus
Assignee: Individual
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Filing: 1969-10-13
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Granted: 1971-08-24
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Expires: 1989-10-13
Abstract
Abstract The time and position of a golf club head are sensed photoelectrically at selected stations along a practice swing, and corresponding characteristics of the swing and of the resulting ball flight are computed electronically and displayed to the player. The lateral club position is sensed accurately at spaced stations near the ball for computation of the swing direction. The clubhead attitude at impact is determined by two sensors spaced along the club face. Matrix circuitry computes the nature of ball flight from the club attitude and swing direction. Ball distance is computed by generating a pulse rate that varies with the ball flight characteristic, and counting the pulses during the portion of the swing between set points. The electronic computing system is reset during a backswing, and all computations are completed during the forward swing. The display is activated automatically as the swing is completed, and remains on until the ball is addressed for a new swing.
Inventors
- 👤 Kenneth K Wright
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 09:10
CPC Classifications
A; A63; A63B; A63B69/00; A63B69/36; A63B2220/00; A63B2220/80; A63B2220/805; A63B69/0073; A63B69/0091
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
109 words
Golf practice apparatus, comprising in combination structure defining a normal point of impact of a golf club head during a practice swing and a normal path direction at the point of impact, two sensors for developing signals in response to passage of the club head leading edge essentially at the point of impact, the sensors being responsive to laterally spaced points of the leading edge, time-discriminating circuit means receiving the signals and responsive to the mutual time relation in which the signals are received, and display means controlled by the circuit means for representing angular relation of the club head leading edge with respect to the normal path direction.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
109 words
Golf practice apparatus, comprising in combination structure defining a normal point of impact of a golf club head during a practice swing and a normal path direction at the point of impact, two sensors for developing signals in response to passage of the club head leading edge essentially at the point of impact, the sensors being responsive to laterally spaced points of the leading edge, time-discriminating circuit means receiving the signals and responsive to the mutual time relation in which the signals are received, and display means controlled by the circuit means for representing angular relation of the club head leading edge with respect to the normal path direction.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
45 words
Golf practice apparatus as defined in claim 1, and in which said time discriminating circuit means comprise a flip-flop having two stable conditions to which it is shifted in response to the respective signals, said display means being responsive to the condition of the flip-flop.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
98 words
Golf practice apparatus as defined in claim 1, and in which said time-discriminating circuit means comprise a flip-flop having two stable conditions to which it is shifted in response to the respective signals, and timing circuit means for producing a coincidence signal in response to substantial coincidence of said signals, said display means being responsive to the coincidence signal and being normally responsive to the condition of the flip-flop, and said apparatus including means responsive to the timing circuit means for rendering the display means unresponsive to the condition of the flip-flop in presence of the coincidence signal.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
55 words
Golf practice apparatus as defined in claim 1, and in which said time-discriminating circuit means comprise circuit means responsive to said signals for developing respective electrical pulses of predetermined duration, and coincidence circuit means for producing an output signal in response to coincidence of the pulses, said display means being responsive to the output signal.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
123 words
Golf practice apparatus as defined in claim 1, and in which said time discriminating circuit means comprise circuit means responsive to said signals for developing a first pair of electrical pulses having predetermined duration and having definite time relation to the respective signals, circuit means responsive to said signals for developing a second pair of electrical pulses having predetermined duration longer than the duration of the first pair of pulses and having definite time relation to the respective signals, coincidence circuit means for producing a first output signal in response to coincidence of the first pair of pulses and a second signal in response to coincidence of the second pair of pulses, said display means including means responsive to both the output signals.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
161 words
In golf practice apparatus which includes structure defining a normal path direction and a normal point of impact of a golf club head during a practice swing, mechanism for representing the lateral position of the swinging club head, comprising in combination an ordered series of sensing devices for developing respective signals in response to passage of a swinging clubhead at respective positions that are progressively spaced laterally of the club head path in mutually overlapping relation, a discriminating circuit for receiving the signals from each pair of adjacent sensing devices and for producing an output signal only in response to combined presence of a signal from the sensing device that is nearer one end of the series and absence of a signal from the sensing device that is nearer the other end of the series, and output means for utilizing the output signal from any one of the discriminating circuits as a representation of the lateral position of the club head.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
161 words
In golf practice apparatus which includes structure defining a normal path direction and a normal point of impact of a golf club head during a practice swing, mechanism for representing the lateral position of the swinging club head, comprising in combination an ordered series of sensing devices for developing respective signals in response to passage of a swinging clubhead at respective positions that are progressively spaced laterally of the club head path in mutually overlapping relation, a discriminating circuit for receiving the signals from each pair of adjacent sensing devices and for producing an output signal only in response to combined presence of a signal from the sensing device that is nearer one end of the series and absence of a signal from the sensing device that is nearer the other end of the series, and output means for utilizing the output signal from any one of the discriminating circuits as a representation of the lateral position of the club head.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
54 words
Mechanism as defined in claim 6, and including also a discriminating circuit for receiving the signal from the sensing device at said other end of the series, and for supplying to said output means an output signal as a representation that the clubhead is beyond said other end of the series of sensing devices.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
47 words
Mechanism as defined in claim 6, and including also a discriminating circuit responsive to absence of any sensing device signal, for supplying to said output means an output signal as a representation that the club head is beyond said one end of the series of sensing devices.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
104 words
In a golf practice apparatus which includes structure defining a normal path direction and a normal point of impact for a golf club head during a practice swing, swing direction indicating means comprising in combination two mechanisms as defined in claim 6 for representing the lateral position of the swinging club head, the sensing devices of the respective mechanisms being relatively spaced longitudinally of the club head path, electronic circuit means responsive to the output means of both said mechanisms and acting to produce a final signal that represents the direction of movement of the clubhead between the sensing devices of the respective mechanisms.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
168 words
Golf practice apparatus, comprising in combination structure defining a normal direction and a normal point of impact of a golf club head during a practice swing, first and second sets of signal lines, the signal lines of the respective sets corresponding to selected transverse positions of a swinging club head at first and second longitudinally spaced points of the swing, means for sensing a swinging club head and for producing position signals on those signal lines of the respective sets that correspond to the actual club head positions, a plurality of output terminals corresponding to respective directions of club head movement each of which directions corresponds to at least one pair of said selected transverse clubhead positions, electronic circuit means including a matrix network of said sets of signal lines and responsive to the position signals thereon for energizing the output terminal that corresponds to the pair of club head positions represented by the position signals present on the lines, and display means responsive to the energized terminal
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
168 words
Golf practice apparatus, comprising in combination structure defining a normal direction and a normal point of impact of a golf club head during a practice swing, first and second sets of signal lines, the signal lines of the respective sets corresponding to selected transverse positions of a swinging club head at first and second longitudinally spaced points of the swing, means for sensing a swinging club head and for producing position signals on those signal lines of the respective sets that correspond to the actual club head positions, a plurality of output terminals corresponding to respective directions of club head movement each of which directions corresponds to at least one pair of said selected transverse clubhead positions, electronic circuit means including a matrix network of said sets of signal lines and responsive to the position signals thereon for energizing the output terminal that corresponds to the pair of club head positions represented by the position signals present on the lines, and display means responsive to the energized terminal
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
125 words
Golf practice apparatus, comprising in combination structure defining a normal point of impact of a golf club head during a practice swing and a normal path direction at the point of impact, first sensing and computing mechanism for sensing a swinging club head and producing a signal representing the angular deviation of a swinging club head from the normal path direction, second sensing and computing mechanism for sensing a swinging club head and producing a signal representing the attitude of the club face substantially at the point of impact, electronic circuit means including a matrix network responsive to both said signals for producing a third signal that represents a ball flight characteristic corresponding to the sensed swing, and display means responsive to the third signal.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
125 words
Golf practice apparatus, comprising in combination structure defining a normal point of impact of a golf club head during a practice swing and a normal path direction at the point of impact, first sensing and computing mechanism for sensing a swinging club head and producing a signal representing the angular deviation of a swinging club head from the normal path direction, second sensing and computing mechanism for sensing a swinging club head and producing a signal representing the attitude of the club face substantially at the point of impact, electronic circuit means including a matrix network responsive to both said signals for producing a third signal that represents a ball flight characteristic corresponding to the sensed swing, and display means responsive to the third signal.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
134 words
Golf practice apparatus, comprising in combination structure representing a golf ball and defining a normal path of a golf club head during a practice swing, a transducer responsive to a club head when addressing the ball prior to the swing, a plurality of transducers normally responsive to a swinging club head, electronic circuit means controlled by at least some of said transducers for producing a swing signal that represents a characteristic of the swing, display mechanism having an active condition in which it is responsive to the swing signal for displaying said swing characteristic, first circuit means responsive to the first said transducer for disabling the display mechanism prior to the swing, and second circuit means responsive to at least one of said plurality of transducers for restoring the display mechaNism to active condition.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
134 words
Golf practice apparatus, comprising in combination structure representing a golf ball and defining a normal path of a golf club head during a practice swing, a transducer responsive to a club head when addressing the ball prior to the swing, a plurality of transducers normally responsive to a swinging club head, electronic circuit means controlled by at least some of said transducers for producing a swing signal that represents a characteristic of the swing, display mechanism having an active condition in which it is responsive to the swing signal for displaying said swing characteristic, first circuit means responsive to the first said transducer for disabling the display mechanism prior to the swing, and second circuit means responsive to at least one of said plurality of transducers for restoring the display mechaNism to active condition.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
46 words
Golf practice apparatus as defined in claim 12, and including also circuit means for disabling at least some of said plurality of transducers in response to said second circuit means and for restoring the disabled transducers to normal condition in response to said first circuit means.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
136 words
Golf practice apparatus, comprising in combination structure defining a normal path of a golf club head during a practice swing, a plurality of transducers for sensing a swinging club head and including transducers acting to produce first and second timing signals in response to presence of the club head at respective longitudinally spaced points of the path, electronic circuit means controlled by at least some of said transducers for producing a swing signal that represents a characteristic of the swing, and timing circuit means responsive to the timing signals for producing a distance signal that represents a ball flight distance signal that varies inversely with the time interval between the timing signals, said timing circuit means including means acting under control of the swing signal to modify the distance signal in accordance with said flight characteristic.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
136 words
Golf practice apparatus, comprising in combination structure defining a normal path of a golf club head during a practice swing, a plurality of transducers for sensing a swinging club head and including transducers acting to produce first and second timing signals in response to presence of the club head at respective longitudinally spaced points of the path, electronic circuit means controlled by at least some of said transducers for producing a swing signal that represents a characteristic of the swing, and timing circuit means responsive to the timing signals for producing a distance signal that represents a ball flight distance signal that varies inversely with the time interval between the timing signals, said timing circuit means including means acting under control of the swing signal to modify the distance signal in accordance with said flight characteristic.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
56 words
Golf practice apparatus as defined in claim 14 and in which said timing circuit means comprise clock means for producing a series of clock pulses, control means for modifying the frequency of the clock pulses under control of the swing signal, and counting means for counting clock pulses during the time interval between the timing signals.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
66 words
Golf practice apparatus as defined in claim 14, and in which said timing circuit means comprise a plurality of oscillating circuits for producing respective series of clock pulses at different pulse frequencies, gating circuit means responsive to said swing signal for selecting one of said pulse series, and counting means for counting the selected series of clock pulses during the time interval between the timing signals.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
45 words
Golf practice apparatus as defined in claim 16, and including also means actuable to supply additional pulses at predetermined frequency to the counting means in addition to said selected pulse series, and control means for actuating the last-said means under control of the counting means.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-08-23 | 1975-02-22 | 1975-08-24 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-08-23 | 1979-02-22 | 1979-08-24 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-08-23 | 1983-02-22 | 1983-08-24 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |