Operations with instrumented Game Ball

Abstract

This document provides a computer-implemented method that includes placing an athletic ball containing a battery on an inductive charging device; generating an electric or magnetic field, or both with the inductive charging device; receiving energy from the field or fields via a receptor located inside the athletic ball; and charging a battery inside the athletic ball using the received energy. This document also provides devices and methods for detecting events with an instrumented player-controllable game device, such as an event of a basketball or soccer ball passing through a goal.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer-implemented method, comprising:
 identifying, with a computer system, data captured from sensors positioned to sense a magnetic field around, created by, or affected by a sporting device as part of an actual sporting event;   analyzing the data with the computer system to identify a temporary change in a field around the sporting device that is indicative of a scoring event using as part of the sporting event the sporting device; and   registering the occurrence of a scoring event in response to the analyzing.   
     
     
         2 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein identifying data captured form the sensors comprises streaming data wirelessly from the sporting device to a wireless access point as the sporting device captures more data about the sporting event. 
     
     
         3 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 2 , wherein streaming data wirelessly from the sporting device comprises essentially simultaneously streaming data that indicates motion of the sporting device and data that represents a field around the sporting device. 
     
     
         4 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein analyzing the data comprises identifying a disruption of defined magnitude in a magnetic field around the sporting device. 
     
     
         5 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 4 , wherein the sporting device is an inflatable ball and the field around the sporting device is created by electronics within the sporting device. 
     
     
         6 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 4 , wherein the sporting device is an inflatable ball and the field around the sporting device is created by application of electrical energy to a goal through which the sporting device passes. 
     
     
         7 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 4 , wherein the sporting device is an inflatable ball and the field around the sporting device is the magnetic field of the earth. 
     
     
         8 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 4 , wherein the sensors comprise electrically conductive devices applied in or on a bladder or shell or both of the sporting device. 
     
     
         9 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 8 , further comprising using the electronically conductive devices to provide inductive charging to electronics inside the ball and through a shell of the ball.