US5653634A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Electronic numerical sports player identifier
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1994-11-10
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Granted: 1997-08-05
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Expires: 2014-11-10
Abstract
Abstract A hand-held electronic sports data retrieval device that accesses sports player names and other biographical information based upon inputting a player's number. The unit contains all of the current season's biographical sports player data, organized by team, and also contains the individual team's schedules. Top level user system operations are simplified by allowing the user to switch from one function mode to another directly and without going through any intermediate steps. The unit is desired to be extremely low cost, and all biographical data is kept current by downloading current information into a field programmable memory chip and inserted into the unit prior to shipment. A real time clock within the device sets schedule parameters upon unit initialization.
Inventors
- 👤 D. Lee Hodges
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 07:28
CPC Classifications
A; A63; A63B; A63B71/00; A63B71/06; G; G06; G06F; G06F15/00; G06F15/02; G06F15/025
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 34
Claim 1
Independent Claim
216 words
An electronic, hand-held, portable machine for retrieving biographical football player information, comprising: (a) a keypad having numerical keys 0-9, up and down scroll keys, a plurality of biographical data selection keys, and a plurality of system function control keys; (b) biographical means for storing names and biographical data on sports players by uniform number and team; (c) schedule means for storing a playing schedule of a team; (d) a display screen to show user system status and retrieved data; (e) a programmed central processing unit having (i) means responsive to activation of said machine for reading a real-time clock and initializing date dependant parameters; (ii) means responsive to said machine activation for initializing said system functions with date, time, day, home team, and opponent team data; (iii) means responsive to deactivation of said machine for saving chosen said home and opponent teams; (iv) means responsive to any system function control key for causing immediate function mode transfer upon actuation of any key in a different function mode; (v) means responsive to said numerical keys for retrieving said football player biographical data; (vi) means responsive to actuation of said biographical data selection keys for retrieving said biographical data; and (vii) means responsive to said retrieval means for controlling said display screen and displaying said retrieved biographical data.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
216 words
An electronic, hand-held, portable machine for retrieving biographical football player information, comprising: (a) a keypad having numerical keys 0-9, up and down scroll keys, a plurality of biographical data selection keys, and a plurality of system function control keys; (b) biographical means for storing names and biographical data on sports players by uniform number and team; (c) schedule means for storing a playing schedule of a team; (d) a display screen to show user system status and retrieved data; (e) a programmed central processing unit having (i) means responsive to activation of said machine for reading a real-time clock and initializing date dependant parameters; (ii) means responsive to said machine activation for initializing said system functions with date, time, day, home team, and opponent team data; (iii) means responsive to deactivation of said machine for saving chosen said home and opponent teams; (iv) means responsive to any system function control key for causing immediate function mode transfer upon actuation of any key in a different function mode; (v) means responsive to said numerical keys for retrieving said football player biographical data; (vi) means responsive to actuation of said biographical data selection keys for retrieving said biographical data; and (vii) means responsive to said retrieval means for controlling said display screen and displaying said retrieved biographical data.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
32 words
An electronic, hand-held, portable machine as recited in claim 1, wherein said central processing unit including means for initiating an automatic deactivation procedure after an elapse of a set amount of time.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
33 words
An electronic, hand-held, portable machine as recited in claim 1, wherein said system function control keys are comprised of any numeric key, a time display/edit key, a set key, and a schedule key.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
57 words
An electronic, hand-held, portable machine as recited in claim 1, wherein said means responsive to said numerical keys for retrieving said football player's name and biographical data includes means for comparing an inputed number to an assigned player number for a selected team and selecting biographical data for a player's number nearest to said inputed player number.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
34 words
An electronic, hand-held, portable machine as recited in claim 1, further comprising two scroll keys operatively connected to said central processing unit to toggle said schedule memory to sequentially display a chosen team's schedule.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
42 words
An electronic, hand-held, portable machine as recited in claim 5, further comprising: (a) roster means for storing a team player roster; (b) list means for storing a league team list; and (c) means for retrieving said player roster and said league list.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
41 words
An electronic, hand-held, portable machine as recited in claim 6, further comprising two scroll keys operatively connected to said central processing unit to toggle said player roster and said league list memory to sequentially display said roster and said league list.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
28 words
An electronic, hand-held, portable machine as recited in claim 5, wherein said scroll keys are further adapted for toggling through a chosen biographical category within said chosen team.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
40 words
An electronic, hand-held, portable machine as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for switching from said home team to said opponent team after retrieving said player's name and biographical data whereby said switching displays an opponent's corresponding numerical player.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
22 words
An electronic, hand-held, portable machine as recited in claim 9, wherein said switching is from said opponent team to said home team.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
31 words
An electronic, hand-held, portable machine as recited in claim 1, wherein said initialization includes automatically setting of said opponent team if said home team has a game scheduled for that day.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
43 words
An electronic, hand-held, portable machine as recited in claim 1, wherein said football player's biographical data categories comprise a player's name, a player's position, a player's height/weight, a player's number of years in professional football, a player's college, and a player's birth date.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
18 words
An electronic, hand-held, portable machine as recited in claim 1, wherein said display is composed of liquid crystal.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
24 words
An electronic, hand-held, portable machine as recited in claim 1, wherein said means for storing said biographical data comprises a field programmable memory chip.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
15 words
An electronic, hand-held, portable machine as recited in claim 1, wherein said machine is disposable.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
32 words
An electronic, hand-held, portable machine as recited in claim 1, wherein said central processing unit has a means for an automatic shut-off procedure after an elapse of a set amount of time.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
35 words
An electronic, hand-held, portable machine as recited in claim 1, wherein said system function control keys consist of any numeric key, a time display/edit key, a set key, a schedule key, and a home/opponent key.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
56 words
An electronic, hand-held, portable machine as recited in claim 1, wherein said means responsive to said numerical keys for retrieving said player's name and biographical data includes means for comparing an inputed number to an assigned player number for a selected team and selecting biographical data for a player's number nearest to said inputed player number.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
35 words
An electronic, hand-held, portable machine as recited in claim 1, further comprising two scroll keys operatively connected to said central processing unit to toggle said schedule memory to sequentially display a chosen team's seasonal schedule.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
42 words
An electronic, hand-held, portable machine as recited in claim 19, further comprising: (a) roster means for storing a team player roster; (b) list means for storing a league team list; and (c) means for retrieving said player roster and said league list.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
41 words
An electronic, hand-held, portable machine as recited in claim 20, further comprising two scroll keys operatively connected to said central processing unit to toggle said player roster and said league list memory to sequentially display said roster and said league list.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
28 words
An electronic, hand-held, portable machine as recited in claim 19, wherein said scroll keys are further adapted for toggling through a chosen biographical category within said chosen team.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
38 words
An electronic, hand-held, portable machine as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for switching from said home team to said opponent team after retrieving said player's biographical data whereby said switching displays an opponent's corresponding numerical player.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
22 words
An electronic, hand-held, portable machine as recited in claim 23, wherein said switching is from said opponent team to said home team.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
30 words
An electronic, hand-held, portable machine as recited in claim 21, wherein said initialization includes automatically setting said opponent team if said home team has a game scheduled for that day.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
42 words
An electronic, hand-held, portable machine as recited in claim 1, wherein said player's biographical data categories comprise a player's name, a player's position, a player's height/weight, a player's number of years in professional football, a player's college, and a player's birth date.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
18 words
An electronic, hand-held, portable machine as recited in claim 1, wherein said display is composed of liquid crystal.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
24 words
An electronic, hand-held, portable machine as recited in claim 1, wherein said means for storing said biographical data comprises a field programmable memory chip.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
15 words
An electronic, hand-held, portable machine as recited in claim 1, wherein said machine is disposable.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
214 words
An electronic, hand-held, portable machine for retrieving biographical sports information, comprising: (a) a keypad having numerical keys 0-9, up and down scroll keys, a plurality of biographical data selection keys, and a plurality of system function control keys; (b) biographical means for storing names and biographical data on sports players by uniform number and team; (c) schedule means for storing a playing schedule of a team; (d) a display screen to show user system status and retrieved data; (e) a programmed central processing unit having (i) means responsive to activation of said machine for reading a real-time clock and initializing date dependant parameters; (ii) means responsive to said machine activation for initializing said system functions with date, time, day, home team, and opponent team data; (iii) means responsive to deactivation of said machine for saving chosen said home and opponent teams; (iv) means responsive to any system function control key for causing immediate function mode transfer upon actuation of any key in a different function mode; (v) means responsive to said numerical keys for retrieving said player biographical data; (vi) means responsive to actuation of said biographical data selection keys for retrieving said biographical data; and (vii) means responsive to said retrieval means for controlling said display screen and displaying said retrieved biographical data.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
214 words
An electronic, hand-held, portable machine for retrieving biographical sports information, comprising: (a) a keypad having numerical keys 0-9, up and down scroll keys, a plurality of biographical data selection keys, and a plurality of system function control keys; (b) biographical means for storing names and biographical data on sports players by uniform number and team; (c) schedule means for storing a playing schedule of a team; (d) a display screen to show user system status and retrieved data; (e) a programmed central processing unit having (i) means responsive to activation of said machine for reading a real-time clock and initializing date dependant parameters; (ii) means responsive to said machine activation for initializing said system functions with date, time, day, home team, and opponent team data; (iii) means responsive to deactivation of said machine for saving chosen said home and opponent teams; (iv) means responsive to any system function control key for causing immediate function mode transfer upon actuation of any key in a different function mode; (v) means responsive to said numerical keys for retrieving said player biographical data; (vi) means responsive to actuation of said biographical data selection keys for retrieving said biographical data; and (vii) means responsive to said retrieval means for controlling said display screen and displaying said retrieved biographical data.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
229 words
Method for identifying team players on the opponent teams at a sporting event based on the numeric designation on the players' uniform, utilizing a hand held electronic display device having an internal memory into which data associated with each player and team has been stored, programmable means for retrieving said data and displaying the same, and means for allowing a human to interface with the display device comprising the steps of: (a) storing in said internal memory the relevant statistical or biographical data for each player on each team to be retrieved; (b) storing a season schedule for each team for which the unit is to be used in conjunction with; (c) providing a date to said programmable means; (d) comparing the provided date to the stored season schedule to determine the opponent teams in the next scheduled event occurring on or after the provided date and displaying the scheduled opponent team; (e) providing a number to said programmable means; (f) correlating the provided number with said data stored in said memory to determine the player having a corresponding number on the displayed team and displaying the determined players name and number; (g) selectively scrolling through the data stored in said memory to retrieve and display bibliographic information on the determined player; and (h) iteratively providing team and player selection commands to retrieve and display information on other players.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
229 words
Method for identifying team players on the opponent teams at a sporting event based on the numeric designation on the players' uniform, utilizing a hand held electronic display device having an internal memory into which data associated with each player and team has been stored, programmable means for retrieving said data and displaying the same, and means for allowing a human to interface with the display device comprising the steps of: (a) storing in said internal memory the relevant statistical or biographical data for each player on each team to be retrieved; (b) storing a season schedule for each team for which the unit is to be used in conjunction with; (c) providing a date to said programmable means; (d) comparing the provided date to the stored season schedule to determine the opponent teams in the next scheduled event occurring on or after the provided date and displaying the scheduled opponent team; (e) providing a number to said programmable means; (f) correlating the provided number with said data stored in said memory to determine the player having a corresponding number on the displayed team and displaying the determined players name and number; (g) selectively scrolling through the data stored in said memory to retrieve and display bibliographic information on the determined player; and (h) iteratively providing team and player selection commands to retrieve and display information on other players.
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) | 2000-08-04 | 2001-02-03 | 2001-08-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2004-08-04 | 2005-02-03 | 2005-08-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2008-08-04 | 2009-02-03 | 2009-08-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |