U.S. patent application number 10/133146 was filed with the patent office on 2003-07-24 for golf club organizer.
Invention is credited to Puskaric, Joseph Anthony.
Application Number | 20030136691 10/133146 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 3818011 |
Filed Date | 2003-07-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030136691 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Puskaric, Joseph Anthony |
July 24, 2003 |
GOLF CLUB ORGANIZER
Abstract
A club organizer for a golf club carry bag, comprising a cover
means adapted to fit across the opening of the golf club carry bag,
the cover means having an arcuately shaped ridge member adapted to
be supported along a portion of a rim defining the opening of the
carry bag, the ridge member having a convex outer side wall and a
concave inner side wall defining a concavity, and web means located
within the concavity for rigidizing the ridge member by urging the
ridge member against the rim, the ridge member being so inclined as
to have an upper and a lower end and including a plurality of
descending apertures for passing the shaft of each of the iron
clubs therethrough and into the carry bag, each of the apertures
including a groove formed through the outer side wall for locating
the head of respective ones of the iron clubs so that, in
accordance with the inclination of the ridge member, each of the
apertures is at a different height to each other of the apertures
whereby the head of each of the iron clubs are vertically spaced
apart from each other and are directed away from the concavity, and
the web means defining a plurality of apertures for locating the
head of each of the wood clubs.
Inventors: |
Puskaric, Joseph Anthony;
(Mt. Pleasant, AU) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PEARNE & GORDON LLP
526 SUPERIOR AVENUE EAST
SUITE 1200
CLEVELAND
OH
44114-1484
US
|
Family ID: |
3818011 |
Appl. No.: |
10/133146 |
Filed: |
April 26, 2002 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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10133146 |
Apr 26, 2002 |
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PCT/AU00/01325 |
Oct 27, 2000 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
206/315.6 ;
211/70.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 55/408
20151001 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/315.6 ;
211/70.2 |
International
Class: |
A63B 055/00; A63B
055/04; A63B 055/06 |
Claims
1. A club organizer for a golf club carry bag, comprising a cover
means adapted to fit across the opening of the golf club carry bag,
the cover means having an arcuately shaped ridge member adapted to
be supported along a portion of a rim defining the opening of the
carry bag, the ridge member having a convex outer side wall and a
concave inner side wall defining a concavity, and web means located
within the concavity for rigidizing the ridge member by urging the
ridge member against the rim, the ridge member being so inclined as
to have an upper and a lower end and including a plurality of
descending apertures for passing the shaft of each of the iron
clubs therethrough and into the carry bag, each of the apertures
including a groove formed through the outer side wall for locating
the head of respective ones of the iron clubs so that, in
accordance with the inclination of the ridge member, each of the
apertures is at a different height to each other of the apertures
whereby the head of each of the iron clubs are vertically spaced
apart from each other and are directed away from the concavity, and
the web means defining a plurality of apertures for locating the
head of each of the wood clubs.
2. The club organizer for the golf club carry bag of claim 1
wherein the organizer includes a collar means supported along the
rim and upon which is supported the cover means, the collar means
including reinforcing members for supporting partitioning means
which are located between the shafts of at least some of the iron
clubs, the partitioning means extending downwardly from the collar
means.
Description
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to an improved apparatus for
supporting golf clubs and, in particular, to a club holder or club
organizer for a golf carry bag.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] It is an important element of the game of golf that the
clubs (including the putter) be stably supported and readily
accessible to the golfer at all times during play. Numerous
apparatus for this purpose have been marketed over the years under
such trade marks as "CADDY RACK", "CLUB RACK" and "CLUB MATE". Each
of these apparatus have enjoyed widespread use as a general type of
club holder, but they are less suitable for the more specialized
needs of the professional golfer who requires the orderly, as well
as stable, holding of up to 14 clubs in a golf bag for the purpose
of easy access and retrieval.
[0003] A common problem with some prior art club holding apparatus
is that the club shafts are not aligned and spaced apart in
parallel fashion, but rather they are crisscrossed and abutting
which may, over time and with improper handling, cause structural
damage to the clubs. Furthermore, the desired club may be difficult
to extract from a bag in which the clubs are crisscrossed and abut
each other.
[0004] Another problem with many prior art golf club holding
apparatus is that they do not allow for easy access to the club
head for quick extraction of the desired club from the bag. In such
apparatus, the club heads, because of their close and often
abutting physical proximity, are prone to suffer collision and
subsequent damage during carrying of the bag or in the process of
extraction of a club therefrom.
[0005] This problem has been overcome in Australian Petty Patent
No. 691,464 to the present inventor by the provision of a golf club
holding apparatus comprising a cover adapted to fit across the
opening of a gold bag. The cover has two or more ridges which are
separately inclined from the horizontal so that each aperture
thereof is at a different height. In this way, all of the club
heads located in the apertures are vertically spaced apart from
each other so as to enable the golfer or caddy to readily access
and easily extract the appropriate club from the golf bag.
[0006] Whilst the apparatus of Australian Petty Patent No. 691,464
has met with success, a need has developed for a golf club
organizer with a lower profile than that which results from having
two or more separately inclined ridges, such as in the club holder
of Australian Petty Patent No. 691,464, but without sacrificing the
feature of having the apertures for locating the head of each of
the nine iron clubs, which are the most tangle prone of the 14
clubs, positioned on an inclined ridge. The desired low profile of
the organizer and inclined positioning of the heads of the iron
clubs must be coupled with an efficient and aesthetically pleasing
layout of the organizer to suit golfers' tastes.
[0007] Furthermore, the organizer should provide a generally even
weight distribution of the clubs when the bag is being carried or
supported on a stand.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] Accordingly, the present invention provides a club organizer
for a golf club carry bag, comprising a cover means adapted to fit
across the opening of the golf club carry bag, the cover means
having an arcuately shaped ridge member adapted to be supported
along a portion of a rim defining the opening of the carry bag, the
ridge member having a convex outer side wall and a concave inner
side wall defining a concavity, and web means located within the
concavity for rigidizing the ridge member by urging the ridge
member against the rim, the ridge member being so inclined as to
have an upper and a lower end and including a plurality of
descending apertures for passing the shaft of each of the iron
clubs therethrough and into the carry bag, each of the apertures
including a groove formed through the outer side wall for locating
the head of respective ones of the iron clubs so that, in
accordance with the inclination of the ridge member, each of the
apertures is at a different height to each other of the apertures
whereby the head of each of the iron clubs are vertically spaced
apart from each other and are directed away from the concavity, and
the web means defining a plurality of apertures for locating the
head of each of the wood clubs.
[0009] Preferably, the organizer includes a collar means supported
along the rim and upon which is supported the cover means, the
collar means including reinforcing members for supporting
partitioning means which are located between the shafts of at least
some of the iron clubs, the partitioning means extending downwardly
from the collar means.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] In order that the present invention may be readily
understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be
made to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a golf club organizer
according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention,
fitted to the opening of a golf club carry bag.
[0012] FIG. 2 is sectional side view through II-II of the golf club
organizer of FIG. 1,
[0013] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the ridge member of the golf
club organizer of FIG. 1,
[0014] FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the ridge member of
FIG. 3,
[0015] FIG. 5 is a top elevational view of the ridge member of FIG.
3,
[0016] FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the golf club
organizer shown in FIG. 1, together with partitioning means for
location between the shafts of some of the iron clubs,
[0017] FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the partitioning
means shown in FIG. 6, together with an exploded view of a base for
the carry bag partly shown in FIG. 1, the base including a
removable anchor plate to which the partitioning means are
attached,
[0018] FIG. 8 is a left side elevational view of a golf club carry
bag with the golf club organizer of FIG. 1 fitted thereto,
[0019] FIG. 9 is a right side elevational view of a golf club carry
bag with the golf club organizer of FIG. 1 fitted thereto,
[0020] FIG. 10 is an isometric view of a golfer carrying the carry
bag of FIGS. 8 and 9 with clubs supported therein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0021] The golf club organizer 10 shown in the Figures is suited
for bags carried by a strap over the shoulder of a person (see
particularly FIG. 10), and can be manufactured to have an upper
weight limit well within the acceptable range of weights for carry
bags, say, with the use of a suitably light weight thermoplastic
rubber (such as that manufactured under KRAIBURG from Germany).
[0022] The organizer 10 comprises, in this embodiment, a cover 12
which fits across the opening or mouth of the carry bag. The cover
12 has an arcuately shaped ridge member 14 made of a thermoplastic
rubber, and a detachable web piece 16 made of polypropylene for
maintaining rigid the arcuate shape of the ridge member 14.
[0023] The ridge member 14 and web piece 16 are supported on a
collar 15, made of polypropylene, which is itself supported on the
metal or hardened rim 19 defining the mouth of the carry bag.
[0024] The ridge member 14 has a convex outer side wall 51 and a
concave inner side wall 52. The inner side wall 52 defines a space
or concavity 53. The web piece 16 is located in the concavity 53
and urges the ridge member 14 against the rim 19.
[0025] The ridge member 14 has nine apertures 18 for locating in
each a single one of the nine iron clubs conventionally used in the
playing of golf. The ridge member 14 is inclined to the horizontal
in such a way as to present a spiral fall from an uppermost
aperture 18a at the upper end of the ridge member 14 to a lowermost
aperture 18b at the lower end, each of the apertures thus being at
a different height to each other of the apertures. In this way, the
heads of each of the iron clubs are vertically spaced apart from
each other.
[0026] The web piece 16 has reinforcing members 17 that define
therebetween three apertures for locating the head of each of the
wood clubs and a putter. One of these apertures may locate more
than one club head if required.
[0027] The ridge member 14 allows the heads of the iron clubs to be
located in individual apertures which protect the heads of the wood
clubs from damage, such as chipping, caused by inadvertent
collision between the irons and woods. At each aperture for the
iron clubs, there is a groove 24 or trough formed through the outer
side wall 51 and upon which the head rests and which points the
head in a direction away from the concavity 53. The grooves 24 are
contoured specially to provide smooth, rounded surfaces against
which the head abuts. The lowest point of each groove 24, if
interconnected by a line (imaginary), follows a spiral or inclined
path around the ridge member 14, in accordance with the inclination
of the ridge member 14 itself. The grooves 24 are also formed so as
to suit both left and right handed clubs.
[0028] The base 30 shown in FIG. 7 is for a carry bag which can be
used with the organizer 10. The base 30 has a skirt portion 32, a
corrugated floor 34, stand feet 36 descending from the floor 34,
and a sloping base region 38. The sloping base region 38 is
conventionally used in co-operation with built on or attachable
carry bag stands to allow the carry bag to stand at an angle to the
horizontal determined by the slope of the region 38.
[0029] The arrangement shown in FIG. 6 comprises, in this
embodiment, the ridge member 14, folded and contoured cushioning
material 40 for overlying both the web piece 16 and the exposed
part of the collar 15, the web piece 16, the collar 15, and
partitioning means 42 adapted to be positioned between adjacent
shafts of most of the iron clubs to be supported by the organizer
10. The partitioning means 42, in the interest of weight reduction,
are made of sheets of 220 density nylon, and extend downwardly from
some of the ribs 43 in the collar 15 to fixed anchor locations on
the base 30, (see FIG. 7) so assisting to prevent the shafts from
tangling with each other during movement of the carry bag.
Partitioning means of this kind may also be positioned between the
shafts of the wood clubs, in which case the partitioning means
would extend downwardly from the reinforcing members 17 of the web
piece 16 to the base 30. The partitioning means 42 may also be in
the form of polyethylene or other plastic tubes, provided that the
overall weight of the carry bag remains within the acceptable
range. Such tubes 57, which also assist in the partitioning of iron
club shafts, are shown in the Figures.
[0030] The carry bag 46 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 has been assembled
with the golf club organizer 10. The ridge member 14 is shown with
the grooves 24 following a spiral fall around the arcuate
structure.
[0031] It is an advantage of the golf club organizer 10 that, when
fitted to a carry bag 60 that is being carried by a strap 62 over
the shoulder of a person, the iron club shafts 64 will not deviate
from their positions within the apertures 18, and their heads will
remain directed away from the concavity and, thus, away from the
wood club heads and putter, as shown in FIG. 10. This arrangement
prevents tangling and rattling of the iron club shafts during
carrying.
[0032] The generally peripheral and spaced apart positioning of the
heavier iron clubs around the top or perimeter of the carry bag, as
provided by the organizer 10, ensures an even weight distribution
of clubs around the organizer and bag, providing an added benefit
during carrying.
[0033] Although the organizer 10 may utilize partitioning nylon
sheets to keep separate the shafts of the irons, such partitioning
sheets are not as necessary to keep separate the shafts of those
irons located downwardmost whilst being carried, as those shafts
will rest stabily upon the material of the bag itself.
[0034] Various modifications may be made in details of design and
construction without departing from the scope and ambit of the
invention.
* * * * *