1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a score keeping display apparatus and, more specifically to a portable electronic scoreboard having a multi-sided scoring display supported approximately 6 feet above a base control unit having means thereon for controlling the scoring display.
2. Description of the Related Art
Virtually all spectator sports provide for scoring displays to indicate a current score, games, or match status as well as other pertinent information. At some facilities, where a large number of spectators are normally present to watch a single event, a large, expensive and highly sophisticated scoring display system is usually permanently installed so that it is viewable by everyone in the facility. In an indoor facility, such as in an arena, the display is usually multi-sided and supported from the rafters or ceiling structure so that it is maintained near the center of the arena, above the playing area. Scoreboards of this nature are usually used during college and professional basketball and hockey games. Even larger facilities, such as football and baseball stadiums, use very large, permanently installed electronic scoreboards for displaying a wide assortment of information to the crowd.
Other sports, such as volleyball, are not suited for such large scoring displays. This is particularly the case in the instance of a volleyball tournament wherein a number of different games are being played simultaneously on one facility, such as a large gymnasium, convention hall, or arena. Presently, the most commonly employed method of volleyball score keeping involves the use of a manually operated display comprising a plurality of display cards which are individually flipped over retaining rings to display a next successive number on the next card. Keeping score in this manner has proven to be time-consuming and inconvenient for scorekeepers, players, and spectators. Further, because conventional volleyball score keeping displays are usually only one-sided, and sometimes two-sided, they are not easily viewable by all players and spectators.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a portable electronic scoreboard which is particularly suited for volleyball score keeping and which includes a highly visible, multi-sided scoring display supported at a height of at least 6 to 8 feet above the ground.