Hardware and software for sending and tracking pitches during baseball or softball game

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Application Type: Provisional Utility Patent

• • Application Number: 63/628,395

Confirmation #: 6584

• • Filing Date: Jul. 17, 2023
  • Title: Hardware and software for sending and tracking pitches during baseball and softball games.
  • Inventors: David S Abraham
    • 3394 E Birchwood PI
    • Chandler, AZ 85249
    • Kailey Pomeroy
    • 21927 S. 215th Street
    • Queen Creek, AZ 85142

PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY INVENTORS

The inventors have shared and gained information from other professionals in the baseball and softball communities since Aug. 11, 2022. Any disclosures made by the inventors were made under a signed non-disclosure agreement. Less than twenty (20) individuals have knowledge of the invention.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The invention is a consumer product in the Sports & Entertainment Industry

2. Background of Invention

The invention herein solves a long-standing problem for coaches in the sports of baseball and softball that call pitches to be thrown by their pitchers during games, i.e. where and how to throw the pitch. Quite often pitch signal calling can be archaic: hand signals, yelling, cumbersome arm bands with complex pitch calling schemes are all currently used. There are also some electronic devices being used; none of them use the grid system to show exactly where the coach wants the pitch to be thrown, as well as the pitch type. Opposing coaches often exploit the older methods of pitch calling to steal signals. The current electronic devices are bulky and simply use text messages. Our research led us to invent a device that receives pitch location and pitch type from a mobile application (app) and displays them for players on the field, giving both text and graphical view of desired pitch and location. The pitcher and catcher would benefit greatly from a visual tool showing them the pitch type (fastball, curveball etc.) as well as the location of the pitch in the strike zone using a grid. Other players on the field could also benefit from knowing the pitch type and position being delivered to the batter. The software app tracks every pitch and pitch outcome (strikes, balls, hits, outs etc.). This will give coaches statistical data in real time to help improve pitcher performance during a game.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention has two major components: the mobile software application (“mobile app”) and the hardware device with display (about the size of a smartwatch). The mobile app sends desired pitch types (EX: Fastball, Curveball etc.) and pitch locations (using a grid system to show the pitcher exactly where to throw the ball) to the pitcher, catcher, and any other players on the field (baseball or softball). This is known as “sending pitch signals”. The mobile app tracks every pitch called and the pitch outcomes, so coaches can use this data to help improve a pitchers' performance during games.

The hardware device consists of the following components:

• • One ePaper display.
  • Microcontroller for managing the display, power, Bluetooth, WIFI and the software.
  • Rechargeable lithium battery
  • WIFI and Bluetooth chips
  • Software (firmware) for displaying the desired pitch and location.
  • On/Off button
  • Protective casing and clear screen cover

FIG. 1 shows how the communication between the mobile app and the device operates. Up to ten (10) devices can be connected to the mobile app at one time. One device is designated as a HOST, the rest of the devices are PEERS.

A secure WIFI connection is used between the mobile app and HOST device. The mobile app sends the pitch location and pitch type to the HOST. The HOST sends those commands to the PEER devices. The PEER device does not communicate back, it only displays according to the commands sent by the HOST.

The grids used in the mobile app and device are the basis of the invention. This graphical representation of pitch zones can be customized by the end user using the software. For example, a pitcher in a recreational league will need less complicated pitching zones, so the coach will use a grid with only 9 spots (a 3×3 grid as seen in FIG. 2). For more experienced players a coach may choose to use a grid with 18 spots (a 3×6 grid as seen in FIG. 3). These simple grids along with the ability to customize the labeling of each square (spots) with different numbers or letters allow coaches to create a unique pitch calling scheme.

DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

FIG. 1 How the mobile app and device(s) communicate

FIG. 2 Example of 3×3 grid with spot indicator

FIG. 3 Example of 3×6 grid with spot indicator

FIG. 4 List of supported pitch types

FIG. 5 Example of 3×3 grid with spot indicator and batter silhouette

FIG. 6 Example of 3×6 grid with spot indicator and batter silhouette

FIG. 7 View for user customization of 3×3 grid

FIG. 8 Example of 3×6 grid with spot indicator, using high/low zone option

FIG. 9 List of possible pitch outcomes

FIG. 10 Printed circuit board for the device (PCB)

FIG. 11 Assembly of device

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

There are two components to the invention. The software (“mobile app”) and the physical hardware device (“device”), about the size of a modern smartwatch.

1. The Mobile App

The mobile app provides a coach with the ability to create a custom pitch calling scheme (a way of using numbers and/or letters to call pitches). The pitching scheme is then used to send pitch calls to the players in the field using the device using both a grid that shows ball placement as well as the pitch type (see complete list of available pitch types in FIG. 4). The mobile app features:

• • a. Login in to verify user
  • b. Connect to HOST device by using the Wi-Fi setup on your mobile device
    • i. To connect, enter the given password for the HOST network identified as “PitchThis! Host”.
  • c. Add and remove devices that can be used with the mobile app
    • i. To add a device: enter the MAC address and description of a device
    • ii. To remove device: slide the desired device to the left and select Delete
    • iii. Activate/Deactivate a device using the Active toggle switch
  • d. Configure Grid and Game
    • i. Enter Coach Name
    • ii. Select Baseball or Softball as the sport
    • iii. The user can track pitches in a game or just throw pitches without tracking game statistics. If game tracking is on:
      • 1. Select Home/Away
      • 2. Select My team's name from the list; the user maintains the list using the Team Management feature.
      • 3. Select Opponent team name from the list; the user maintains the list using the Team Management feature.
      • 4. Select Pitcher name from the list, the user maintains the list using the Pitcher Management feature.
      • 5. Verify opponent batting order. The user maintains the list of players on each team. The batting order can be changed as necessary.
    • iv. Select Grid Type
      • 1. 9-spot (3×3 grid)—see FIG. 2
      • 2. 9-spot with batter silhouette—see FIG. 5
      • 3. 18-spot (3×6 grid)—see FIG. 3
      • 4. 18-spot with batter silhouette—see FIG. 6
    • v. Enter Numbers/Letters in Selected Grid (optional)
    • If the user wants to set up a pitching scheme, they can assign numbers or letters to each box so that it is “coded”. More advanced users can choose to show or hide some or all the pitching scheme on the device. (see FIG. 7)
    • vi. Show No-Pitch Zone (On or Off)
    • The user can choose to show or hide a line the runs down the middle of the grid, both horizontally and vertically. This represents an area to never let the ball be thrown at. This is an advanced function. This no-pitch zone is only displayed on the device.
    • vii. Show Numbers in Grid (On or Off)
    • Show or hide the pitch scheme numbers assigned to some or all of the boxes in the grid. (see FIG. 7)
    • viii. Show Pitch Number (On or Off)
    • Show or hide the pitch number for the pitch type when displayed on the device. (Example: if the user has setup FAST as the first pitch in the pitch list, then a “1” would be displayed as the pitch number.
    • ix. Show Coach Spots (On or Off)
    • Show the numbers defined in v. above in the Spot boxes in the grid on the device.
    • x. Use High/Low Zones (On or Off)
    • User can make each box in the grid have an “upper” zone and “lower” zone. When the user selects a spot in the grid, they can then select High or Low in the box. This is an advanced option and effectively makes the grid two times more granular since every box now has two zones. (see FIG. 8)
    • xi. Select and Order Pitches
    • Users can move the available pitches into whatever order they choose. Thay can also remove pitches from the list that they won't use.
    • xii. Send Setup to Devices
    • Once the user has selected all the options mentioned above “the setup”, the setup is sent to all the devices that have been added and activated (see paragraph c. above). Once the setup has been sent, in a few seconds the PEER devices will display the selected grid and options.
    • xiii. Once all settings are completed, the user can save settings for future use to save time in future games.
  • e. Start Sending Pitch and Pitch Location to Players
    • i. Using a grid interface, the user touches which spot they want the pitcher to throw to.
    • ii. Users can select what pitch they want from the list they set up earlier in paragraph d. xi. above. The interface is a simple list.
    • iii. If using the High/Low zone feature, the user will select which zone they want the round marker to be displayed in.
    • iv. When ready, the user taps the Send Pitch Now button.
      • 1. This sends the pitch data to the HOST device (explained in detail below in the Device section).
      • 2. The HOST sends the pitch data to all the PEER devices at once.
  • f. Select Outcome of Pitch
    • i. User selects if the pitcher hit the spot they were sent
    • ii. User selects outcome of the pitch (see FIG. 9)
  • g. Stats/Reporting when using Game Tracker
    • i. Batter: Name, number, innings, batting order, balls, strikes
    • ii. Pitcher: Name, number, innings, pitch count, balls, walks, strikes, strikeouts, strike percentage, hit spot percentage (spots hit/total pitches), games played, wins, losses, batters faced, hits given up, earned runs, earned run average, whip, opposing batting average
    • iii. Ability to report on one or many games.
    • iv. Supports unlimited pitchers, teams, games, saved setups and devices.
  • h. Device Tools
    • i. Clear Devices—clear displays (for maintaining the health of the display)
    • ii. Refresh Host display—clear screen and show current settings
    • iii. Clear Host display—clear Host display

2. The Device (for Assembly of the Device See FIG. 11)

The device can be used in two modes, HOST and PEER. The user can switch modes by using the button on the device. A complete description of the device follows:

• • a. The device is composed of the following parts
    • i. 1.54″ ePaper Display 200×200 resolution
    • ii. Rechargeable lithium battery
    • iii. Printed Circuit Board (PCB) (see FIG. 10)
      • 1. 1 Processor: ESP32 chip
      • 2. 1 Battery management: PM1100
      • 3. 1 micro-USB port
      • 4. 1 User button (for on/off and mode)
      • 5. 2 LED indicator lights for charging and power
      • 6. 1 SPI interface for ePaper display
      • 7. 1 Battery terminator for connecting battery
    • iv. Plastic casing
      • 1. Front cover
      • 2. Back cover
      • 3. Button
      • 4. Scratch resistant lens
    • v. Firmware—software that allows the device to act as a HOST or PEER.

3. The Invention

The mobile app with the device and grid system is new and unique. Currently no other solutions use a combination of a mobile app, device and grid system. It is the grid system used within the app and displayed on devices that is the basis of this invention.

Users of this invention will have many ways to customize their pitch calling schemes and send exact locations (spots) to the pitcher where they wish the ball to be thrown (see paragraph 1. d. above).

• • a. Steps to use the Invention
    • a. Put one device in HOST mode (press and hold button for 5 seconds)
    • b. Connect your mobile device to the HOST via WiFi using the password provided on the HOST display.
    • c. Open the mobile app (“PitchThis!”) and login.
    • d. Enter PEER devices to be used in mobile app by entering MAC address provided on the display of the PEER.
    • e. Configure your grid and pitch calling scheme (optional—see paragraph 1. d. above)
    • f. If used during a game, select opponent, opponent batting lineup, starting pitcher and what team is home team.
    • g. Start sending pitches using the Send Pitch screen in mobile app. The mobile app tracks all pitch calls and outcomes as outlined in paragraph 1. e. above.
    • h. Users can run reports for one or more games to gain insight into their pitcher's accuracy and efficiency. The statistics provided are commonly used in baseball and softball statistical reporting and are not unique to any system.