US 4,702,475 · Granted 1987-10-27
The Light-Flash Reaction Trainer That Teaches Athletes to Think Fast
Imagine a box with six lights that flash at you in random order. Each light tells you to do a specific move, and you have to react as fast as possible. This patent covers the whole system—the lights, the timer, the sounds that tell you when time's up—designed to help athletes build lightning-quick reflexes and muscle memory through unpredictable drills.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a training apparatus that uses an array of lights (typically six, arranged in two rows) to signal different movement patterns, paired with a microprocessor control system that randomizes the sequence and measures reaction time. What's protected here is the combination of the visual stimulus array, the programmable timing for each light's response window, the audible feedback signal at the end of each interval, and the ability to set different time limits for different lights. The patent specifically covers the method of training by presenting unknown light cues in sequence and measuring how fast a person reacts with the correct movement.
Why it matters
This patent represents an early computerized approach to sports training when microprocessor control was still relatively novel in consumer athletic equipment. By automating the randomization and timing measurement, it removes human error from reaction drills and allows coaches to tune difficulty precisely—something that was impossible with a coach manually calling out moves or hand-timing an athlete. The portable case design made it practical for gyms, training facilities, and team sports programs to use standardized, repeatable drills that measure improvement over time.
Real-world use
A baseball player training in an off-season gym uses one of these devices to practice hand-eye coordination and decision-making: lights flash in random patterns, and the player has to swing, dodge, or position their body correctly within the time limit, building the reflex speed needed in live play.
Original USPTO abstract
A system for technique and accelerated reaction training of a person by a training program in which an array of lights is positioned visibly in front of the person, with each light signifying a different particular movement pattern to be executed by the person in a given amount of time. A control system selectively energizes one light of the array at a time, signifying a particular movement pattern to be executed, in a sequence of lighting of the array of lights unknown to the person undertaking the training program. In this program, the sequence of lighting of the array appears to be random, such that the person waits for an unknown light to be energized, and must then react in a measured time period with the particular movement pattern to be executed in response to that particular light. The control system is programmable to enter a different individual time period of response for each different light, and then times each individual time period of response. Additionally, an audible feedback is supplied to the person by an acoustic transducer which is activated by the control system at the end of each individual time period of response to audibly signal, such as by a beep, to the person the end thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the control system is microprocessor programmed and operated. The microprocessor is coupled to an address bus, a control bus, and a data bus, and each of the array of lights, as well as additional controlled features said as a voice synthesizer which provides audible instructions, is coupled to and controlled by the microprocessor by signals issued on the address bus, the control bus, and the data bus. The array of lights comprises an array of six lights arranged in top and bottom horizontal rows of three lights, with the top and bottom rows being aligned vertically with respect to each other. Moreover, the system is preferably constructed and provided in a portable carrying case, wherein the array of lights is mounted in the top portion of the carrying case, and the control system and programming keyboard therefor is located in the bottom portion.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 4,702,475
- Filing date
- 1986-07-25
- Grant date
- 1987-10-27
- Assignee
- Innovating Training Products, Inc.
- Inventor(s)
- ELSTEIN; RICK A., FARET; SVEIN, GAZZO; JOHN J.
- CPC class
- A63B69/0053
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