U.S. patent application number 10/794031 was filed with the patent office on 2004-09-23 for golf bag.
This patent application is currently assigned to GRAD STAR RESOURCES LTD. Invention is credited to Wang, Ma-Li.
Application Number | 20040182726 10/794031 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32986261 |
Filed Date | 2004-09-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040182726 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wang, Ma-Li |
September 23, 2004 |
Golf bag
Abstract
A golf bag having a bag body with a receiving space and a top
portion and a bottom portion mounted on opposite ends of the bag
body. A connecting unit including connecting members is mounted on
an external surface of the bag body. A supporting unit having an
adjustable length is located in the bag body. When the connecting
members are coupled to each other and the length of the supporting
unit is reduced, the external surface of the bag body is folded and
the size of the golf bag is reduced. Therefore, the volume of the
receiving space of the bag body can be adjusted according to
articles to be received in the receiving space, and also the size
of the golf bag can be adjusted for easy storage or carrying.
Inventors: |
Wang, Ma-Li; (Taipei,
TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Mr. William F. Nixon
SQUIRE SANDERS & DEMPSEY LLP
14th Floor
8000 Towers Crescent Drive
Tysons Corner
VA
22182-2700
US
|
Assignee: |
GRAD STAR RESOURCES LTD
|
Family ID: |
32986261 |
Appl. No.: |
10/794031 |
Filed: |
March 8, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/315.3 ;
190/103; 206/315.8 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45C 7/0068 20130101;
A63B 55/00 20130101; A63B 2210/50 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/315.3 ;
206/315.8; 190/103 |
International
Class: |
A63B 055/00; A45C
007/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 21, 2003 |
TW |
092204428 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A golf bag, comprising: a bag body having a receiving space,
with a top portion and a bottom portion respectively mounted on
opposite ends of the bag body; a connecting unit comprising a set
of connecting members and mounted on the bag body; and a supporting
unit located in the receiving space of the bag body to support the
bag body, the supporting unit having an adjustable length; wherein
when the connecting members are coupled to each other and the
length of the supporting unit is reduced, the bag body is folded
and the size of the golf bag is decreased.
2. The golf bag of claim 1, wherein the connecting unit is mounted
on an external surface of the bag body.
3. The golf bag of claim 2, wherein the connecting members comprise
a zipper slider and corresponding slider tracks.
4. The golf bag of claim 3, wherein the zipper slider and the
slider tracks are coupled to each other to fold the external
surface of the bag body.
5. The golf bag of claim 1, wherein the supporting unit comprises a
set of inner tubes and a set of corresponding outer tubes that are
sleeved around the inner tubes.
6. The golf bag of claim 5, wherein the corresponding inner tubes
and outer tubes are moved relatively to each other to adjust the
length of the supporting unit.
7. The golf bag of claim 5, further comprising a clamping member
for fastening each pair of the corresponding inner tube and outer
tube or for releasing the fastening between the corresponding inner
tube and outer tube.
8. The golf bag of claim 7, wherein the clamping member is mounted
on the outer tube.
9. The golf bag of claim 5, wherein the top and bottom portions are
each formed with a plurality of insertion holes where the tubes of
the supporting unit are inserted.
10. The golf bag of claim 5, further comprising a pad made of an
elastic material disposed between each pair of the corresponding
inner tube and outer tube.
11. The golf bag of claim 1, wherein the top portion is formed with
an opening communicating with the receiving space.
12. The golf bag of claim 1, wherein the bag body is made of a
flexible material.
13. The golf bag of claim 1, wherein the top and bottom portions
are made of a plastic material.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to golf bags, and more particularly,
to a golf bag having an adjustable size or volume.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] A commercially available golf bag is usually formed
integrally as a single rigid body with a fixed size or volume. Such
a golf bag, when empty or only containing a few of articles, would
undesirably occupy large space but cannot be adjusted or reduced in
size, thereby leading to great inconvenience in carrying or storing
the golf bag especially in a confined area such as vehicle
trunk.
[0003] A conventional golf bag normally has a length of about three
feet and a diameter of about one foot and is considered as a large
golf bag. With a golf club placed in the bag, the head and part of
the shaft of the golf club protrudes from the bag, making the total
length of the bag including the club increased to about four feet.
Such a long bag is difficult to be placed in the vehicle trunk.
[0004] Accordingly, there is a telescopic golf club composed of a
plurality of shafts. These shafts are assembled and sleeved with
each other, allowing the length of the golf club to be adjusted by
rotating the shafts with respect to each other, so as to extend the
golf club to an extent suitable for playing golf or shorten the
golf club for easy storage. However, there has been no appropriate
golf bag provided for this golf club, which can be flexibly
adjusted in size according to the change of the length of the golf
club.
[0005] Therefore, the problem to be solved here is to provide a
golf bag having an adjustable size or volume suiting variably-sized
articles to be received therein.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] An objective of the present invention is to provide a golf
bag whose size or occupied spaced can be reduced for easy carrying
and storage.
[0007] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a
golf bag whose volume can be flexibly adjusted if necessary.
[0008] To achieve the above and other objectives, the present
invention proposes a golf bag including a bag body having a
receiving space, with a top portion and a bottom portion
respectively mounted on opposite ends of the bag body; a connecting
unit comprising a set of connecting members and mounted on an
external surface of the bag body; and a supporting unit located in
the receiving space of the bag body to support the bag body, the
supporting unit having an adjustable length; wherein when the
connecting members are coupled to each other and the length of the
supporting unit is reduced, the external surface of the bag body is
folded and the size of the golf bag is decreased.
[0009] The connecting members include a zipper slider and
corresponding slider tracks on the external surface of the bag
body, such that the zipper slider and corresponding slider tracks
can be fastened together to fold the external surface and reduce
the volume of the bag body.
[0010] The supporting unit includes a set of inner tubes and a set
of corresponding outer tubes, wherein these tubes are inserted in
insertion holes formed on the top and bottom portions. The outer
tubes are sleeved around the inner tubes. A clamping member is
mounted on each of the outer tubes to fasten each pair of the inner
tube and outer tube or release the fastening between the
corresponding inner tube and outer tube.
[0011] The golf bag according to the present invention beneficially
allows the volume of the receiving space of the bag body to be
adjusted according to articles that are received in the receiving
space, and also allows the size of the golf bag to be adjusted for
easy storage or carrying.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The present invention can be more fully understood by
reading the following detailed description of the preferred
embodiments, with reference made to the accompanying drawings,
wherein:
[0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the appearance of a golf bag
according to the present invention;
[0014] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the interior structure of the
golf bag according to the present invention;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a clamping member of the
golf bag according to the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the clamping member of
FIG. 3 mounted on a supporting unit of the golf bag according to
the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the golf bag with a reduced
volume according to the present invention; and
[0018] FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the golf bag according to the
present invention stored in a vehicle trunk.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0019] FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 illustrate a golf bag 1 proposed in the
present invention, which can be used for storing golf clubs. This
golf bag 1 includes a bag body 10 having a receiving space for
receiving articles; a top portion 21 and a bottom portion 22,
respectively mounted at the top and bottom ends of the bag body 10,
with a plurality of insertion holes 21c, 22c respectively formed on
the inner walls of the top and bottom portions 21, 22; a connecting
unit 20 mounted on an external surface of the bag body 10; a
supporting unit 23 comprising a plurality of inner tubes 231
inserted in the top portion 21 and a plurality of corresponding
outer tubes 230 inserted in the bottom portion 22, the supporting
unit 23 located in the receiving space to support the bag body 10;
and a clamping member 24 mounted on one end of each outer tube 230,
for fastening each pair of corresponding inner tube 231 and outer
tube 230 together and for adjusting the combined length of each
pair of the fastened inner tube 231 and outer tube 230, so as to
alternate the volume of the receiving space of the bag body 10.
Each pair of the inner tube 231 and outer tube 230 are fastened in
a manner that the outer tube 230 is sleeved around the inner tube
231. The connecting unit 20 on the external surface of the bag body
10 comprises a set of connecting members 20a, 20b that can be
coupled to each other to allow folding of the bag body 10 or can be
detached from each other.
[0020] The bag body 10 is made of a flexible material such as soft
or stretchable cloth. The top and bottom portions 21, 22 are made
of a plastic material for supporting the articles received in the
bag body 10. The connecting members 20a, 20b can be fastened to
each other from a location in the middle section of the external
surface of the bag body 10 to another location where the golf bag 1
and its receiving space are reduced in size. FIG. 1 shows a state
before the connecting members 20a, 20b are fastened to each other,
wherein the connecting member 20a is shown at the location where
the fastening begins.
[0021] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the external surface of the
bag body 10 may be divided into a first surface 101, a second
surface 102, a third surface 103 and a fourth surface 104. In this
embodiment, the connecting member 20a is, for example, a zipper
slider, and the connecting member 20b comprises, for example, a
plurality of slider tracks suitable for the zipper slider 20a. The
connecting unit 20 is mounted on the second surface 102 and the
third surface 103 at the middle section of the external surface.
The position where the connecting member 20a begins to slide is
located at the junction between the second and third surfaces 102,
103. The slider tracks of the connecting member 20b are formed
diagonally across the second surface 102 and the third surface 103,
and also respectively at the junctions between the first and second
surfaces 101, 102 and between the third and fourth surfaces 103,
104. When the connecting member 20a slides to fasten with the
tracks of the connecting member 20b on the second and third
surfaces 102, 103, the second surface 102 and the third surface 103
can be partially folded up. Then, if the connecting member 20a
further slides to fasten with the tracks of the connecting member
20b at the junctions between the first and second surfaces 101, 102
and between the third and fourth surfaces 103, 104, the first
surface 101 and the fourth surface 104 are connected together, and
the second surface 102 and the third surface 103 would be
completely folded and received at the inner wall of the bag body
10. As a result, the length and volume of the bag body 10 are both
reduced.
[0022] The top and bottom portions 21, 22 are mounted respectively
on the top and bottom ends of the bag body 10 and delimit the
receiving space in the bag body 10. The top portion 21 has an
opening 21a communicating with the receiving space of the bag body,
allowing the articles to be placed through the opening 21a into the
bag body 10. The bottom portion 22 has a base 22a for supporting
the weight of the articles contained in the bag body 10. A
plurality of first mounts 21b are formed on the inner wall of the
top portion 21, with each of the first mounts 21b having an
insertion hole 21c facing towards the bottom portion 22. Similarly,
a plurality of second mounts 22b are formed on the inner wall of
the bottom portion 22, with each of the second mounts 22b having an
insertion hole 22c facing towards the top portion 21. The insertion
holes 21c, 22c respectively receive the inner tubes 231 and the
outer tubes 230 of the supporting unit 23. One end of each outer
tube 230 is formed with an insertion tip 230a for inserting the
outer tube 230 into the corresponding insertion hole 22c. The inner
tube 231 has a diameter smaller than the outer tube 230 such that
the inner tube 231 can slidably mounted inside the outer tube 230.
By adjusting the position of the inner tube 231 with respect to the
outer tube 230, the distance between the top and bottom portions
21, 22 can be changed and the size of the bag body 10 bounded by
the top and bottom portions 21, 22 is changed accordingly.
[0023] Furthermore, besides the connecting members 20a, 20b, the
connecting unit 20 can be further provided with at least one pair
of coupling members (not shown). The pair of coupling members are
respectively mounted on the first surface and the fourth surface of
the external surface of the bag body 10. When the second and third
surfaces are completely folded and received, the coupling members
can be coupled to each other to strengthen the connection between
the first surface and the fourth surface and secure the reduced
size of the bag body 10.
[0024] The clamping member 24 is mounted at a position where the
outer tube 230 sleeves around the inner tube 231, preferably at one
end of the outer tube 230 in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the
clamping member 24 comprises a receptacle 240 and a pivotal hole
mount 241. The receptacle 240 has an opening 240a through which the
outer tube 230 is inserted. A first slot 230b and a second slot
240b (in FIG. 4) are formed at positions where the receptacle 240
is connected to the outer tube 230. A pivotal hole 241a is formed
through the pivotal hole mount 241. The pivotal hole 241a is
inserted through with a shaft 241b that is rotatably and pivotally
connected to a push bar 242. One end of the push bar 242 is
eccentrically provided with a pressing part 242a, wherein an outer
edge of the pressing part 242a touches against the slots 230b,
240b. A pad 243 made of an elastic material is further mounted
within the outer tube 230, wherein an upper portion of the pad 243
is attached to a stud 243a and protrudes from the slots 230b, 240b
to come into contact with the pressing part 242a. When the push bar
242 is rotated, the outer edge of the pressing part 242a can be
moved downwardly and pressed on the stud 243a to generate a
downward pressing force by which the pad 243 attached to the stud
243a is deformed.
[0025] The pad 243 is made of an elastic material and shaped as a
ring with an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner
diameter of the outer tube 230. Further, the inner diameter of the
pad 243 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the inner
tube 231. Thereby, the pad 243 disposed between the inner tube 231
and the outer tube 230 can secure the inner tube 231 in position
with respect to the outer tube 230. When rotation of the push bar
242 urges the pressing part 242a against the stud 243a, the pad 243
is deformed by the downward pressure from the stud 243a and pressed
on the inner tube 231 that is thus firmly held inside the outer
tube 230. The top portion 21 and the bottom portion 22 that
respectively receive the inner tubes 231 and the outer tubes 230
maintain the length of the supporting unit 23, such that the
receiving space of the bag body 10 is defined and held by the top
and bottom portions 21, 22.
[0026] The combined length of the inter-sleeved outer and inner
tubes 230, 231 or the length of supporting unit 23 can be adjusted
by rotating the push bar 242 to alternate the relative positions of
the corresponding outer and inner tubes 230, 231, thereby making
the size of the golf bag 1 or the volume of the receiving space
flexibly adjusted according to the length of the supporting unit
23.
[0027] In particular, the push bar 242 of the clamping member 24
can be lifted up to release the contact of the pressing part 242a
from the stud 243a. The resilient force from restoration of the pad
243 pushes up the stud 243a to protrude from the slots 230b, 240b.
At this time, the pad 243 would not be pressed on the inner tube
231, making a user freely move the inner tube 231 relatively to the
outer tube 230, for example to push the inner tube 231 into the
outer tube 230 to reduce the length of the supporting unit 23 until
the inner tube 231 is entirely received in the outer tube 230. As
shown in FIG. 5, the connecting member or zipper slider 20a of the
golf bag 1 can slide along the tracks of the connecting member 20b
across the second surface 102 and the third surface 103 (FIG. 1) to
fold up the second and third surfaces 102, 103. The connecting
member or zipper slider 20a may further slide along the tracks of
the connecting member 20b at the junctions between the first and
second surfaces 101, 102 and between the third and fourth surfaces
103, 104 (FIG. 1) to connect the first and fourth surfaces 101, 104
together; this provides a minimized receiving space of the golf bag
1 to receive the articles.
[0028] FIG. 6 shows the golf bag 1 according to the present
invention containing golf clubs such as telescopic golf clubs. When
the golf club is adjusted in length for example to be extended or
shortened, the size of the golf bag 1 or the volume of its
receiving space can be accordingly adjusted to be increased or
reduced. Therefore, the size-adjustable golf bag 1 can be flexibly
changed in size or volume to comply with the size of articles to be
received in the golf bag 1 and also for the purpose of easy storage
or carrying of the golf bag 1.
[0029] Furthermore, the connecting members 20a, 20b of the
connecting unit 20 are not limited to the zipper slider and the
slider tracks. It should be understood that other conventional
coupling members for the fastening purpose are also suitably used
in the present invention.
[0030] The invention has been described using exemplary preferred
embodiments. However, it is to be understood that the scope of the
invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the
contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar
arrangements. The scope of the claims, therefore, should be
accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such
modifications and similar arrangements.
* * * * *