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Draft:David W. Crain

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  • Comment: Not one of the sources cited contributes towards notability per WP:GNG.
    Too much of the content is unreferenced, esp. for an article on a living person (WP:BLP). DoubleGrazing (talk) 09:14, 26 May 2024 (UTC)
  • Comment: Please note that we don't use external links in the body of an article and that patents confer zero notability. Theroadislong (talk) 08:54, 26 May 2024 (UTC)
  • Comment: Wikipedia cannot be used as a reference. Theroadislong (talk) 08:34, 26 May 2024 (UTC)

David Crain

David Crain (born 1946) is an American engineer and business strategist in the electronics and construction industries.  He is the creator and inventor of what is commonly known as the "1st  and Ten" graphical overlay system[1][2] [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]used in sports television broadcasts[13][14] [15][16][17][18][19].

Dr. David Crain in front of a current implementation of the system he envisioned in his original patent 40 years earlier.

Early Life

Crain was born and raised in California's San Gabriel Valley. He graduated from Don Bosco Technical Institute in Rosemead, CA[1]. According to Crain, his technical interests started at age 14 when he was given a Physics set that contained an optical bench, parts for simple dc circuits, and parts to make an electric motor. 

Education

Crain earned a B.S. in Physics (1968), an M.S. in Materials Science (1971),  and Ph.D. in Materials Science (1976) all from University of Southern California (USC)[1][20]  .  His Ph.D. dissertation,  “Charge Motion in the Variable Threshold Memory Transistor,” [21]  focused on flash memory transistor development nearly 30 years before commercial introduction of the technology.

Career

Crain’s professional career started in 1968 with the United States Naval Oceans System Command in San Diego, California where he was responsible for development of microelectronics for anti-submarine-warfare systems.  It was there, while working on undersea television exploration technology, he conceived and received the first patent on what became “TV’s yellow line” also known as the “1st and Ten” concept described below[1].  His focus on strategic planning began in 1976 with a move to Sempra Energy  as Director of Corporate Strategy.  In 1996, he shifted his focus to the construction industry with a move to  Fluor Corporation as Director of Markets and Strategies[20].  In 1999, Crain became president of the Association for Strategic Planning, an organization he founded along with Janice Laureen, Stan Abraham and Sumner Alpert [22]. During his career he served as an adjunct professor and lecturer in Engineering and Business Strategy at several Southern California Universities.   He also served as the Statewide Chair of the Industry Advisory Board for MESA, Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement, a California organization that provides campus-based tutoring, study halls, and classes for the benefit of historically disadvantaged college students.

1St and Ten Invention

Crain was awarded US Patent 4084184 [23] “TV Object Locator and Image Identifier” on April 11, 1978.  One use of the technology was to create on-field markings to allow TV viewers to identify the distance needed to achieve a first down in televised football games. It did so by inserting graphical elements on the field of play as if they were physically present. He presented the concept to Roone Arledge and Roger Goodman of ABC News and Sports and to Robert T. McKinley the CBS Technology Center[1] [24].   At the time, the broadcast industry was not ready to use Crain's invention. The invention was brought to market 20 years later and was introduced on ESPN football telecasts in 1998 when signal processing technology had the speed to keep up with insertion of dynamic objects in the field of view[13] [14] [15].   It is now widely used in network sports broadcasts of all types and the foundation technology for augmented reality (AR) video applications. Table 1 lists the top 30 patents that reference Crain’s original invention.

Table 1. Top 30 Inventions Citing Crain's Patent

PATENT# DATE AWARDED PATENT NAME INVENTOR
US 4084184 A 4/11/1978 TV Object locator and image identifier Crain; David W.
US 4490742 A 12/25/1984 Encoding apparatus for a closed-circuit television system Wurtzinger; Richard E.
US 4855820 A 8/8/1989 Down hole video tool apparatus and method for visual well bore recording Barbour; Joel
US 4928175 A 5/22/1990 Method for the three-dimensional surveillance of the object space Haggren; Henrik
US 4963984 A 10/16/1990 Optical projection camera alignment system and method Womack; Kenneth H.
US 4985779 A 1/15/1991 Improved method and apparatus for generating halftone images Gall; Winrich
US 5892554 A 4/6/1999 System and method for inserting static and dynamic images into a live video broadcast DiCicco; Darrell S. et al.
US 5808695 A 9/15/1998 Method of tracking scene motion for live video insertion systems Rosser; Roy J. et al.
US 5912700 A 6/15/1999 System for enhancing the television presentation of an object at a sporting event Honey; Stanley K. et al.
US 5672820 A 9/30/1997 Object location identification system for providing location data of an object being pointed at by a pointing device Rossi; John H. et al.
US 5917553 A 6/29/1999 Method and apparatus for enhancing the broadcast of a live event Honey; Stanley K. et al.
US 6252632 B1 6/26/2001 System for enhancing a video presentation Cavallaro; Richard H.
US 5953077 A 9/14/1999 System for displaying an object that is not visible to a camera Honey; Stanley K. et al.
US 6195122 B1 2/27/2001 Spatial referenced photography Vincent; Robert
US 6266100 B1 7/24/2001 System for enhancing a video presentation of a live event Gloudemans; James R. et al.
US 6229550 B1 5/8/2001 Blending a graphic Gloudemans; James R. et al.
US 6100925 A 8/8/2000 Image insertion in video streams using a combination of physical sensors and pattern recognition Rosser; Roy J. et al.
US 6466275 B1 10/15/2002 Enhancing a video of an event at a remote location using data acquired at the event Honey; Stanley K. et al.
US 7075556 B1 7/11/2006 Telestrator system Meier; Kevin R. et al.
US 6965397 B1 11/15/2005 Measuring camera attitude Honey; Stanley K. et al.
US 7230653 B1 6/12/2007 Method and apparatus for real time insertion of images into video Overton; Kenneth J. et al.
US 6909438 B1 6/21/2005 Video compositor White; Marvin S. et al.
US 7206434 B2 4/17/2007 Method and system for measurement of the duration an area is included in an image stream Overton; Kenneth J. et al.
US 7341530 B2 3/11/2008 Virtual strike zone Cavallaro; Richard H. et al.
US 20050001852 A1 1/6/2005 System and method for inserting content into an image sequence Dengler, John D.  et al.
US 8335345 B2 12/18/2012 Tracking an object with multiple asynchronous cameras White; Marvin S. et al.
US 8218002 B2 7/10/2012 Method and apparatus providing computer generated images over a network with a point of view corresponding to images acquired during navigation of an imaging device Maguire, Jr.; Francis J.
US 8330812 B2 12/11/2012 Method and apparatus for producing and storing, on a resultant non-transitory storage medium, computer generated (CG) video in correspondence with images acquired by an image acquisition device tracked in motion with respect to a 3D reference frame Maguire, Jr.; Francis J.
US 8786415 B2 7/22/2014 Tracking system using proximity and/or presence Cavallaro; Richard H. et al.
US 9215383 B2 12/15/2015 System for enhancing video from a mobile camera Milnes; Kenneth A. et al.
US RE45062 E 8/5/2014 Apparatus for inducing attitudinal head movements for passive virtual reality Maguire, Jr.; Francis J.
US 10290119 B2 5/14/2019 Multi view camera registration White; Marvin S. et al.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e "Swanson: David Crain's 1st-and-10 line measures up as his 'best idea'". Orange County Register. 2024-08-07. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  2. ^ Lake, Matt (2000-01-27). "When the Game's on the Line, the Line's on the Screen". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
  3. ^ Barton, Gina (2016-02-06). "The NFL's virtual first-down line, explained". Vox. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
  4. ^ "The Making of Football's Yellow First-and-Ten Line". ETHW. 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
  5. ^ "The Making of Football's Yellow First-and-Ten Line". ETHW. 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
  6. ^ "How the First-Down Line Works". HowStuffWorks. 2001-01-26. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
  7. ^ "The Story Behind the NFL's Magic Yellow First-Down Line". Insight Replay. 2015-10-29. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
  8. ^ Squadron, Bill (2013-07-18). "The Bonus: The story behind football's innovative yellow first down line". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
  9. ^ Tweed, Katherine (2008-01-14). "How do they make the first down line appear on the football field during a game?". Scienceline. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
  10. ^ "Football First Down Science". PBS North Carolina. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
  11. ^ "The New Star of TV Football Is a Yellow First-Down Line".
  12. ^ "First-Hand:My Recollections: Development of Football's Virtual First Down Line". ETHW. 2015-01-12. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  13. ^ a b "An Explanation of the Football 1st & Ten Line". Symmetry Electronics. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
  14. ^ a b Staff, The Lamp Online. "The story behind the yellow line". The Lamp. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
  15. ^ a b Bennett, Corey Nachman , Dashiell. "14 Innovations That Changed Sports Broadcasting Forever". Business Insider. Retrieved 2024-05-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ Staff, The Lamp Online. "The story behind the yellow line". The Lamp. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
  17. ^ "1st & Ten (graphics system)". American Football Database. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
  18. ^ "An Explanation of the Football 1st & Ten Line". Symmetry Electronics. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
  19. ^ "Sports and Training - Augmented Reality : Where We Will All Live". Ebrary. Retrieved 2024-07-17.
  20. ^ a b "University of Southern California Physics Department Newsletter" (PDF).
  21. ^ Crain, David,  “Charge Motion in the Variable Threshold Memory Transistor”,  Ph.D. Dissertation, USC, 1976.  https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c36-241659
  22. ^ "USC Course Catalog Course 29745 Syllabus".
  23. ^ US4084184A, Crain, David W., "Tv object locator and image identifier", issued 1978-04-11 
  24. ^ CBS Television Network Letter from Robert McKinley to Dr. David Crain, June 29, 1979.
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