The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 29, 1992
Filed:
Nov. 21, 1991
J Paul Knox, Springfield, MO (US);
Robert B Murray, III, Springfield, MO (US);
Clinton L Smith, Ozark, MO (US);
Golf Vegas International, Inc., Ozark, MO (US);
Abstract
A golf putting device includes a shell which presents a ball receiving chamber open at the front to receive incoming putted golf balls. A row of LED's across the front of the compartment may be selectively energized to vary the target area from cycle to cycle. An infrared transmitter on one side of the chamber emits energy which is received by two receivers located on the opposite side of the chamber. By sensing the time one beam is intercepted by the ball and using the known ball size, the ball speed can be calculated. By sensing the interval between the times the two beams are intercepted and using the ball speed, the position of the ball transversely can be calculated to determine whether it is on target or off target. An automatic ball return mechanism includes a paddle which sweeps the ball forward in the chamber and pivots to eject the ball back to the starting position.