Sports ball having electronics and method of use

Abstract

A sports ball may include a bladder having one or more inserts attached to or imbedded therein. The inserts may include a battery, a charging element, one or more microprocessors/sensors, memory and/or a speaker. The bladder may include pockets formed into the bladder either extending from the outside into the bladder and/or pockets disposed on the inside of the bladder. A hub for communicating with several balls and/or display devices may also be included.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A sports ball comprising a bladder and at least one insert attached to or imbedded in the bladder, wherein the insert comprises at least one of a microprocessor, a battery, a speaker, and a charging element. 
     
     
         2 . The sports ball of  claim 1 , wherein the bladder has a battery attached to an interior portion of the bladder. 
     
     
         3 . The sports ball of  claim 1 , wherein the bladder has one or more pockets formed therein. 
     
     
         4 . The sports ball of  claim 3 , wherein at least one pocket extends into the bladder, such is open to outside the bladder. 
     
     
         5 . The sports ball of  claim 3 , wherein the at least one pocket has a speaker formed therein. 
     
     
         6 . The sports ball of  claim 5 , wherein the bladder is disposed inside a cover and wherein the cover has at least one hole there through adjacent the speaker. 
     
     
         7 . The sports ball of  claim 1 , wherein the ball has a plurality of inserts disposed therein and wherein the inserts are generally evenly spaced so as to balance the inserts within the ball. 
     
     
         8 . The sports ball of  claim 1 , wherein the bladder includes at least one weighted portion disposed to balance the sports ball with respect to one of the inserts. 
     
     
         9 . The sports ball of  claim 1 , wherein the bladder is covered with a touch sensitive liner. 
     
     
         10 . The sports ball of  claim 1 , wherein a plurality of accelerometers are disposed in the bladder. 
     
     
         11 . A bladder for a sports ball, the bladder comprising a wall and at least one insert attached to the wall, and wherein the at least one insert comprises a battery. 
     
     
         12 . The bladder for a sports ball of  claim 11 , wherein at least one insert comprises a microprocessor. 
     
     
         13 . The bladder for a sports ball of  claim 11 , wherein the at least one insert comprises a speaker. 
     
     
         14 . The bladder for a sports ball of  claim 11 , wherein the at least one insert comprises a charging element. 
     
     
         15 . The bladder for a sports ball of  claim 14 , wherein the charging element comprises an induction coil. 
     
     
         16 . The bladder for a sports ball of  claim 11 , wherein a plurality of accelerometers are disposed within the bladder in spaced apart locations. 
     
     
         17 . A system for training a player of a sport comprising:
 a plurality of sports balls formed in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the sports balls have wireless communication transmitters; and   a hub disposed in wireless communication with the plurality of sports balls for collecting data from the sports balls and wirelessly transmitting the data to at least one of display device selected from a smart phone, a tablet, a computer, and wireless headphones.   
     
     
         18 . The system according to  claim 17 , wherein the hub comprises a plurality of hubs and wherein the hubs can determine the location of a ball disposed between the hubs. 
     
     
         19 . The system according to  claim 17 , wherein the hub communicates with a plurality of display devices. 
     
     
         20 . The system according to  claim 17 , wherein the hub receives communication from a plurality of sports balls.