Sport Event Transducer

Abstract

A sport event transducer having an output element that can emit a perceivable output in response to an event that relates to a sport team, for example by emitting an audio-visual output when a particular football team scores. The transducer can be removable attached to a sport garment such as a cap or jersey, or can be an integral part of the garment. A transmission system remotely controls such transducers in response to sport team events by broadcasting an RF signal carrying team event messages, for example by transmitting an FM radio-data broadcast that carries a team event message embedded in the FM signal as RDS data. The sport event transducer receives and decodes such RF broadcast signals. If the transducer receives a team event message that relates to the transducer's affiliated team, the transducer's output element emits an audio and/or visual output signal in response to the message.

1 - 16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . A sport event transducer comprising:
 indicia of a sport team, that appears on said sport event transducer,   at least one presentation element that emits perceivable outputs,   an output controller that controls said presentation element's emission of said perceivable outputs, and   a receiver circuit that receives from a wireless transmitter a wireless signal that is encoded with a plurality of different types of event codes for the sport team whose indicia appears on the sport event transducer, wherein said wireless transmitter is a of a type that transmits said plurality of different types of event codes in real-time upon the occurrence of corresponding types of events relating to said sport team, and wherein   said output controller, in response to the receipt of a first type of event code for said sport team, causes said presentation element to emit a corresponding first type of celebratory output; and, in response to the receipt of a second type of event code for said sport team, causes said presentation element to emit a corresponding second type of celebratory output.   
     
     
         18 . The sport event transducer of  claim 17  wherein said first type of event code corresponds to a scoring event for said sport team whose indicia appears on said transducer and wherein said second type of event code corresponds to the occurrence of a non-scoring event for said team. 
     
     
         19 . The sport event transducer of  claim 17  wherein
 said sport team whose indicia appears on said transducer is a particular football team, and wherein 
 said first type of event code is an event code that is transmitted in real time upon the occurrence the scoring of a touchdown by said football team, and wherein 
 said second type of event code is an event code that is transmitted in real time upon the occurrence of a turnover in favor of said football team. 
 
     
     
         20 . The sport event transducer of  claim 19  wherein said plurality of different types of team event codes to which said output controller responds includes an event code transmitted upon the occurrence of a penalty call against an opposing team. 
     
     
         21 . The sport event transducer of  claim 17  wherein
 said sport team whose indicia appears on said transducer is a particular baseball team, and wherein 
 said first type of event code is an event code that is transmitted in real-time upon the occurrence of a home run by said baseball team, and 
 said second type of event code is a strike out thrown by a pitcher of said baseball team. 
 
     
     
         22 . The sport event transducer of  claim 17  further comprising a security mechanism for detecting whether said received team event codes are from an authorized source and wherein said output controller causes said presentation element to emit said perceivable output only if said mechanism determines that a received team event code is authorized. 
     
     
         23 . The sport event transducer of  claim 17  further comprising:
 a team identifier that identifies said sport team to said output controller, and 
 a decoder for determining if the team event message relates to said team identified by said team identifier, wherein said sport event transducer output controller causes the presentation element to emit a perceivable output in response to a team event message only if the decoder determines that the team event message is related to said team identified by said team identifier. 
 
     
     
         24 . The sport event transducer of  claim 17  wherein said receiver circuit receives said wireless signal and team event codes in a format and protocol user by a wide area RF broadcast transmitter than embeds said team even codes in RF transmissions that are capable of nearly simultaneously reaching a plurality of sport event transducers located over a region that spans a substantial portion of the geographic market for that sport team. 
     
     
         25 . The sport even transducer of  claim 25  wherein the received wide area RF broadcast transmission is a commercial RF broadcast that includes embedded data that represents team event codes. 
     
     
         26 . The sport event transducer of  claim 25  wherein the received wide area RF commercial broadcast transmission is an FM radio-data signal in accordance with the radio broadcast data standard, and wherein sport event transducer further comprises and RDS decoder for extracting RDS data from the FM radio-data signal and determining whether said extracted RDS data includes a team event code directed to said sport team whose indicia appears on said sport event transducer. 
     
     
         27 . A sports-fan garment comprising:
 indicia of a sport team, that appears on said garment,   at least one presentation element that emits perceivable outputs,   an output controller that controls said presentation element's emission of said perceivable outputs, and   a receiver circuit that receives from a wireless transmitter a wireless signal that is encoded with a plurality of different types of event codes for the sport team whose indicia appears on the garment, wherein said wireless transmitter is of a type that transmits said plurality of different types of event codes in real-time upon the occurrence of corresponding types of events relating to said sport team, and wherein   said output controller, in response to the receipt of a first type of event code for said sport team, causes said presentation element to emit a corresponding first type of celebratory output; and, in response to the receipt of a second type of event code for said sport team, causes said presentation element to emit a corresponding second type of celebratory output.   
     
     
         28 . The sport-fan garment of  claim 27  wherein said first type of event code corresponds to a scoring event for said sport team whose indicia appears on said garment and wherein said second type of event code corresponds to the occurrence of a non-scoring event for said sport team. 
     
     
         29 . The sport-fan garment of  claim 27  wherein
 said sport team whose indicia appears on said garment is a particular football team, and wherein 
 said first type of event code is an event code that is transmitted in real time upon the occurrence the scoring of a touchdown by said football team, and wherein 
 said second type of event code is an event code that is transmitted in real time upon the occurrence of a turnover in favor of said football team. 
 
     
     
         30 . The sport-fan garment of  claim 29  wherein said plurality of different types of team events codes to which said output controller responds includes an event code transmitted upon the occurrence of a penalty call against an opposing team. 
     
     
         31 . The sport-fan garment of  claim 27  wherein
 said sport team whose indicia appears on said garment is a particular baseball team, and wherein 
 said first type of event code is an event code that is transmitted in real-time upon the occurrence of a home run by said baseball team, and 
 said second type of event code is a strike out thrown by a pitcher of said baseball team. 
 
     
     
         32 . The sport-fan garment of  claim 27  further comprising a security mechanism for detecting whether said received team event codes are from an authorized source and wherein said output controller causes said presentation element to emit said perceivable output only if said mechanism determines that a received team event code is authorized. 
     
     
         33 . The sport-fan garment of  claim 27  further comprising:
 a team identifier that identifies said sport team to said output controller, and 
 a decoder for determining if the team event message relates to said team identified by said team identifier, wherein said output controller causes the presentation element to emit a perceivable output in response to a received team event code only if the decoder determines that the team event code is related to said team identified by said team identifier. 
 
     
     
         34 . The sport-fan garment of  claim 27  wherein said receiver circuit receives said wireless signal and team event codes in a format and protocol used by a wide area RF broadcast transmitter that embeds said team event codes in RF transmissions that are capable of nearly simultaneously reaching a plurality of sport-fan garments located over a region that spans a substantial portion of the geographic market for that sport team. 
     
     
         35 . The sport-fan garment of  claim 34  wherein the received wide area RF broadcast transmission is a commercial RF broadcast that includes embedded data that represents team event codes. 
     
     
         36 . The sport-fan garment of  claim 35  wherein the received wide area RF commercial broadcast transmission is an FM radio-data signal in accordance with the radio broadcast data standard, and wherein said sport fan garment further comprises an RDS decoder for extracting RDS data from the FM radio-data signal and determining whether said extracted RDS data includes a team event code directed to said sport team whose indicia appears on said garment.