US4883271A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Sports impact measuring apparatus
Assignee: FRENCH SPORTECH Corp 30612 SALEM DRIVE BAY VILLAGE OH 44140
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Filing: 1988-04-18
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Granted: 1989-11-28
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Expires: 2008-04-18
Abstract
Abstract A sports impact measuring apparatus for indicating at least one characteristic of an externally applied impact, comprising a deformable, resilient support having a compressible impact region and expandable regions, a piezoelectric strip extending substantially around an expandable region, and an electronic indicator electrically connected to the piezoelectric strip.
Inventors
- 👤 Barry J. French
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 17:33
CPC Classifications
A; A63; A63B; A63B69/00; A63B69/20; A63B69/32; A63B24/00; A63B24/0021; A63B63/00; A63B69/24; A63B69/26; A63B69/305; A63B71/00; A63B71/06; A63B71/0619; A63B71/0669; A63B71/08; A63B71/14; G; G01; G01L; G01L1/00; G01L1/16; G01L5/00; G01L5/0052; G01L5/14; G01P; G01P15/00; G01P15/02; G01P15/08; G01P15/09; G01P7/00; A63B2024/0037; A63B2220/00; A63B2220/30; A63B2220/50; A63B2220/51; A63B2220/53; A63B2220/80; A63B2220/806; A63B2244/00; A63B2244/10; A63B2244/102
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 28
Claim 1
Independent Claim
116 words
Sports impact measuring apparatus for indicating at least one characteristic of an externally applied impact, said apparatus comprising: a deformable, resilient support for receiving impacts, said support being compressible at the region of the impacts and expandable at parts of said support away from the region of impact; flexible transducer means mounted on said support around said expandable part of said support for generating an electrical signal having at least one characteristic varying in accordance with to the extent of the expansion of said expandable portion in accordance with the value of said impact characteristic; and indicating means connected to said transducer means for indicating at least one value of a characteristic of said electrical signal.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
116 words
Sports impact measuring apparatus for indicating at least one characteristic of an externally applied impact, said apparatus comprising: a deformable, resilient support for receiving impacts, said support being compressible at the region of the impacts and expandable at parts of said support away from the region of impact; flexible transducer means mounted on said support around said expandable part of said support for generating an electrical signal having at least one characteristic varying in accordance with to the extent of the expansion of said expandable portion in accordance with the value of said impact characteristic; and indicating means connected to said transducer means for indicating at least one value of a characteristic of said electrical signal.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
15 words
The invention according to claim 1 wherein said flexible transducer means comprises flexible piezoelectric means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
30 words
The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said indicating means includes means for generating an intelligible analog output signal reflective of a value of a characteristic of said electrical signal.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
18 words
The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said support comprises a container for being filled with a fluid.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
35 words
The apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said container has a circular cross sectional portion and said piezoelectric means comprises a strip of piezoelectric film extending substantially about a circumference of said cross sectional portion.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
17 words
The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said support comprises a container for holding a resilient material.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
65 words
The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said support comprises a bag containing a material for rendering said bag resilient, and wherein said apparatus further includes supporting means for holding said bag upright to position said bag to receive impacts at a first portion of said bag and said piezoelectric means is disposed apart from said first portion to avoid impacts on said piezoelectric means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
30 words
The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said indicator means includes means responsive to rates of increase of the value of said signal for indicating the velocity of said impact.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
18 words
Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein support includes a container for holding gas for rendering the container resilient.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
21 words
Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said support includes a container for holding an incompressible fluid for rendering the container resilient.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
24 words
Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said support means includes a container, the container including a compressible, resilient material for rendering the container resilient.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
14 words
Apparatus according to claim 11 wherein said compressible, resilient material is a polymer foam.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
48 words
The invention according to claim 2, wherein said apparatus comprises a body shield, and said support includes a generally flat forward face having outer edge portions, said flexible piezoelectric means being disposed near an outer edge portion and said impact region being disposed away from said piezoelectric means.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
32 words
A body shield according to claim 13 wherein said piezoelectric means is disposed near the upper edge portion of said shield, and said impact region is disposed below said upper edge portion.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
19 words
A body shield according to claim 13 wherein said support includes a compressible material for rendereing said support resilient.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
17 words
A body shield according to claim 13 and further including handles on opposite sides of said shield.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
83 words
The invention according to claim 2 wherein said apparatus comprises a hitting mitt having front and rear faces and outer edge portions, and said support includes a container for holding a material for rendering said container resilient and glove means attached to said rear face to enable a person to hold said mitt to present said front face as a target, said flexible piezoelectric means being disposed near an outer edge portion and said impact region being disposed away from said piezoelectric means.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
15 words
The invention according to claim 2 wherein said piezoelectric means comprises a laminated piezoelectric strip.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
104 words
Sports impact measuring accessory for measuring at least one characteristic of an impact externally applied to a deformable, resilient support, the support being compressible at the region of impacts and expandable at parts of said support away from the region of impacts, said accessory comprising: flexible piezoelectric strip means mountable on said support substantially around an expandable part of said support for generating electrical signal in accordance with the amount of expansion of said expandable part as a result of impacts rendered to said support; and electronic indicating means electrically connected to said piezoelectric strip means for indicating a value of said electrical signals.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
104 words
Sports impact measuring accessory for measuring at least one characteristic of an impact externally applied to a deformable, resilient support, the support being compressible at the region of impacts and expandable at parts of said support away from the region of impacts, said accessory comprising: flexible piezoelectric strip means mountable on said support substantially around an expandable part of said support for generating electrical signal in accordance with the amount of expansion of said expandable part as a result of impacts rendered to said support; and electronic indicating means electrically connected to said piezoelectric strip means for indicating a value of said electrical signals.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
17 words
The invention according to claim 19 wherein said piezoelectric strip means further includes a protective plastic lamination.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
96 words
A flexible transducer means for measuring at least one characteristic of a sports impact on a resilient support for receiving such impacts, said resilient support comprising a resilient material compressible at the region of impact and expandable at parts of said support away from the region of impact, said means including a flexible means for generating an electrical signal having at least one characteristic varying in accordance with the extent of movement of the resilient support, and means for holding said flexible means relative to the expandable parts of said resilient support to detect such movement.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
96 words
A flexible transducer means for measuring at least one characteristic of a sports impact on a resilient support for receiving such impacts, said resilient support comprising a resilient material compressible at the region of impact and expandable at parts of said support away from the region of impact, said means including a flexible means for generating an electrical signal having at least one characteristic varying in accordance with the extent of movement of the resilient support, and means for holding said flexible means relative to the expandable parts of said resilient support to detect such movement.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
14 words
The transducer means of claim 21 wherein said flexible means is a piezoelectric means.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
60 words
A boxing glove for indicating impacts thereon, said boxing glove comprising a compressible, resilient impact area for making or receiving impacts and an expandable, resilient area away from said impact area, and a resilient transducer means disposed on said expandable, resilient area generating electric signals in response to said impacts for indicating some characteristic of impacts on said impact area.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
60 words
A boxing glove for indicating impacts thereon, said boxing glove comprising a compressible, resilient impact area for making or receiving impacts and an expandable, resilient area away from said impact area, and a resilient transducer means disposed on said expandable, resilient area generating electric signals in response to said impacts for indicating some characteristic of impacts on said impact area.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
13 words
The boxing glove of claim 23 wherein said transducer means comprises piezoelectric means.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1992-11-27 | 1993-05-29 | 1993-11-28 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1996-11-27 | 1997-05-29 | 1997-11-28 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2000-11-27 | 2001-05-29 | 2001-11-28 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |