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 an inflatable ball as part of an actual sporting event;   analyzing the data with the computer system, comprising identifying a disruption of defined magnitude in earth's magnetic field around the inflatable ball that is indicative of a scoring event using as part of the sporting event the inflatable ball; 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 from the sensors comprises streaming data wirelessly from the inflatable ball to a wireless access point as the inflatable ball captures more data about the sporting event. 
     
     
         3 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 2 , wherein streaming data wirelessly from the inflatable ball comprises essentially simultaneously streaming data that indicates motion of the inflatable ball and data that represents earth's magnetic field around the inflatable ball. 
     
     
         4 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the sensors comprise electrically conductive devices applied in or on a bladder or shell or both of the inflatable ball. 
     
     
         5 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 4 , further comprising using the electronically conductive devices to provide inductive charging to electronics inside the ball and through a shell of the ball.