U.S. patent application number 11/956327 was filed with the patent office on 2008-09-04 for adjustable golf tee set.
This patent application is currently assigned to MOLDETK PRECISION CORP.. Invention is credited to Lien-Hsin Lee.
Application Number | 20080214328 11/956327 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39733520 |
Filed Date | 2008-09-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080214328 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lee; Lien-Hsin |
September 4, 2008 |
ADJUSTABLE GOLF TEE SET
Abstract
An adjustable golf tee set is disclosed to include a tee nail
for fastening to the ground in a golf course to support a golf ball
for hitting, a base block for supporting the tee nail stably on the
ground, and a connecting cord for securing the support to a ground
anchor. A plurality of annular spacer blocks of different
thicknesses are selectively used and mounted on the base block
around a pointed shank of the tee nail to adjust the elevation of
the tee nail subject to different ball-striking needs.
Inventors: |
Lee; Lien-Hsin; (Luchou
City, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MOLDETK PRECISION CORP.
P.O. BOX 108-00403
TAIPEI 106
TW
|
Assignee: |
MOLDETK PRECISION CORP.
Wugu Township
TW
|
Family ID: |
39733520 |
Appl. No.: |
11/956327 |
Filed: |
December 13, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
473/398 ;
473/400 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 57/10 20151001;
A63B 57/15 20151001; A63B 57/12 20151001; A63B 2210/50
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
473/398 ;
473/400 |
International
Class: |
A63B 57/00 20060101
A63B057/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 2, 2007 |
TW |
096107261 |
Claims
1. An adjustable golf tee set comprising: a tee nail, the tee nail
having a cup-like head for holding a golf ball and a pointed shank
downwardly extending from a bottom side of the cup-like head for
fastening to the ground; and a support for mounted around the
pointed shank of the tee nail at a bottom side of the cup-like head
to support the teen nail on the ground, the support comprising a
base block and at least one annular spacer block, the base block
and the at least one annular spacer block each having a center
through hole for the insertion of the pointed shank of the tee
nail.
2. The adjustable golf tee set as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
pointed shank of the tee nail comprises a plurality of longitudinal
locating ribs arranged around the periphery; the base block and the
at least one annular spacer block each have a plurality of
longitudinal locating grooves disposed in the respective center
through hole for receiving the longitudinal locating ribs of the
pointed shank to prohibit rotation of the tee nail relative to the
support.
3. The adjustable golf tee set as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
pointed shank of the tee nail comprises a plurality of longitudinal
locating grooves arranged around the periphery; the base block and
the at least one spacer block each have a plurality of longitudinal
locating ribs disposed in the respective center through hole for
engaging the longitudinal locating grooves of the pointed shank to
prohibit rotation of the tee nail relative to the support.
4. The adjustable golf tee set as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
base block has a bearing portion upwardly extending from a top side
around the center through hole thereof for supporting the at least
one annular spacer block.
5. The adjustable golf tee set as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
base block has a plurality of wire holes for the mounting of a
connecting cord selectively to securing the base block to a ground
anchor.
6. The adjustable golf tee set as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
at least one annular spacer block includes a plurality of annular
spacer blocks having different thickness for selectively fastening
to the pointed shank of the tee nail to support the cup-like head
of the tee nail above the base block.
7. The adjustable golf tee set as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
tee nail has a plurality of locating grooves arranged on the
periphery of the pointed shank at different elevations; the support
comprises at least one retaining pin mounted in the base block and
partially extending out of the base block and movable in and out of
the center through hole of the base block for selectively engaging
the locating grooves of the tee nail to lock the base block to the
pointed shank of the tee nail at a selected elevation, and spring
means mounted in the base block and adapted to force the at least
one retaining pin into engagement with the locating grooves of the
tee nail.
8. The adjustable golf tee set as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
tee nail has a plurality of locating grooves arranged on the
periphery of the pointed shank at different elevations; the support
comprises a U-clamp fixedly mounted in the base block, said U-clamp
having two clamping spring arms for selectively engaging the
locating grooves to secure the base block to the pointed shank of
the tee nail at a selected elevation.
Description
[0001] This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan
patent application number 096107261 filed on Mar. 2, 2007.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a golf tee for use in
playing a golf game and more particularly, to an adjustable golf
tee set, which allows adjustment of the elevation of the tee nail
above the ground to fit different ball-striking needs and, which
uses a connecting cord to connect the support supporting the tee
nail to a ground anchor so that the tee nail will not be lost after
each application.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] When playing the game of golf, many factors affect the
performance. Because every golf player has a different physical
body size, arm span, method of grip and golf club swinging posture
and because the ground surface may be uneven, the elevation of the
golf tee must be properly adjusted so that the player can hit the
center of the golf ball accurately. If the golf tee is not set at a
suitable elevation, the player will be difficult to hit the right
part of the golf ball accurately. However, when fastening a golf
tee to the ground, the player cannot accurately control the
insertion depth of the golf tee in the ground, and the elevation of
the golf tee may be measured roughly by feeling. In this case, the
player may be unable to hit the right part of the golf ball
accurately, resulting in a low performance.
[0006] Further, after the player hit the ball, the golf tee may
jump far away, and the player or the caddy may have to spend a lot
of time in finding the golf tee.
[0007] Therefore, it is desirable to provide a golf tee set that
eliminates the aforesaid drawbacks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The present invention has been accomplished under the
circumstances in view. It is the main object of the present
invention to provide an adjustable golf tee set, which allows
adjustment of the elevation of the tee nail in the ground to
satisfy different ball-striking needs. It is another object of the
present invention to provide an adjustable golf tee set, which
supports the tee nail stably on the ground so that the user can
strike the golf ball on the tee nail accurately.
[0009] To achieve these and other objects of the present invention,
the golf tee set comprises a tee nail and a support. The tee nail
has a cup-like head for holding a golf ball and a pointed shank
downwardly extending from the bottom side of the cup-like head for
fastening to the ground. The support is for mounted around the
pointed shank of the tee nail at the bottom side of the cup-like
head to support the teen nail stably on the ground. The support
comprises a base block and a number of annular spacer blocks of
different thicknesses. The base block and the annular spacer blocks
each have a center through hole for the insertion of the pointed
shank of the tee nail. By means of selectively attaching the
annular spacer blocks to the pointed shank of the tee nail above
the base block, the nailing depth of the pointed shank of the tee
nail in the ground is controlled, and therefore the elevation of
the cup-like head of the tee nail above the ground is relatively
controlled.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is an oblique elevation of an adjustable golf tee set
in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.
[0011] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the adjustable golf tee set in
accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of FIG. 2.
[0013] FIG. 4 is a schematic drawing showing an application example
of the first embodiment of the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 5 is a schematic drawing showing another application
example of the first embodiment of the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 6 is an exploded view of an adjustable golf tee set in
accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 7 is an exploded view of an adjustable golf tee set in
accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view in an enlarged scale of the
base block of the support of the adjustable golf tee shown in FIG.
7.
[0018] FIG. 9 is an exploded view of an adjustable golf tee set in
accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view in an enlarged scale of
the base block of the support of the adjustable golf tee shown in
FIG. 9.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0020] Referring to FIGS. 1.about.3, an adjustable golf tee set in
accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention is
shown comprised of a tee nail 1, a support 2 and a connecting cord
3.
[0021] The tee nail 1 comprises a pointed shank 13, a cup-like head
12, and a shoulder 11 axially connected between the pointed shank
13 and the cup-like head 12. The cup-like head 12 has a top recess
121 smoothly curved inwards for holding a golf ball. By means of
the pointed shank 13, the tee nail 1 can easily be fastened to the
ground.
[0022] The support 2 comprises a base block 21 and a number of
annular spacer members 23. The base block 21 and the annular spacer
members 23 each have a center through hole 24 approximately equal
to the outer diameter of the pointed shank 13 of the tee nail 1 but
smaller than the outer diameter of the shoulder 11 of the tee nail
1. Therefore, the base block 21 or the base block 21 with one
annular spacer member 23 or a number or all of the annular spacer
members 23 can be sleeved onto the pointed shank 13 of the tee nail
1 and stopped at the bottom side of the shoulder 11 to control the
nailing depth of the pointed shank 13 into the ground and to
support the tee nail 1 in position. The base block 21 has a top
bearing portion 22 upwardly extending from the top side around its
center through hole 24 for supporting the annular spacer members
23, and a plurality of wire holes 25 cut through the top and bottom
sides around the top bearing portion 22 for the mounting of the
connecting cord 3.
[0023] The connecting cord 3 has one end fastened to one wire hole
25 of the base block 21 of the support 2, and the other end
fastened to one wire hole 25 of the base block 21 of the support 2
of another tee nail 1 (see FIG. 4) or a wire hole 41 of an anchor 4
(see FIG. 5).
[0024] The pointed shank 13, the base block 21 and the annular
spacer members 23 can be made out of metal, wood, hard plastics or
any of a variety of other hard materials. The annular spacer
members 23 have different heights for selective use. Subject to the
number of the wooden club or iron club used, a user can selectively
use the annular spacer members 23 with the base block 21 to support
the tee nail 1 on the ground in the golf course at the desired
height.
[0025] Referring to FIGS. 1.about.3 again, because the center
through hole 24 of the base block 21 and each of the annular spacer
members 23 is approximately equal to the outer diameter of the
pointed shank 13 of the tee nail 1 but smaller than the outer
diameter of the shoulder 11 of the tee nail 1, the pointed shank 13
of the tee nail 1 can be forced through the annular spacer members
23 and the base block 21. After insertion of the pointed shank 13
of the tee nail 11 through the annular spacer members 23 and the
base block 21, the annular spacer members 23 and the base block 21
are firmly secured to the pointed shank 13 by means of friction
resistance, and stopped at the bottom side of the shoulder 11.
Further, after insertion of the connecting cord 3 through one wire
hole 25 of the base block 21, each end of the connecting cord 3 is
tied up to form or fixedly mounted with an endpiece 31 that is
greater than the diameter of the wire holes 25, and therefore the
connecting cord 3 is kept coupled to the base block 21.
[0026] FIG. 4 shows an application example of the first embodiment
of the present invention. When in use, the pointed shank 13 of the
tee nail 1 is inserted through the annular spacer members 23 and
the base block 21 and then fastened to the ground to have the
annular spacer members 23 and the base block 21 be stopped between
the shoulder 11 of the tee nail 1 and the ground. Thus, the support
2 supports the tee nail 1 firmly in place on the ground, and then
the connecting cord 3 is fastened to a ground anchor. According to
this application example, the ground anchor is one same tee nail 1.
Thus, the user can put the golf ball in the top recess 121 of the
cup-like head 12 and then hit the ball with a golf club. By means
of the support member 2, the tee nail 1 is positively positioned in
the ground to support the golf ball at the desired elevation for
striking, and the user can solidly hit the right part of the golf
ball to strike the golf ball long and straight. After the user hit
the golf ball, the tee nail 1 with the support 2 may jump away from
the ground in direction reversed to the striking direction, however
the connecting cord 3 still secures the adjustable golf tee set to
the ground anchor, and the user can quickly pick up the adjustable
golf tee set for a repeat use.
[0027] FIG. 5 shows another application example of the first
embodiment of the present invention. According to this application
example, the ground anchor, referenced by 4, is a fork, having a
wire hole 41 for the fastening of the connecting cord 3. By means
of the ground anchor 4, the adjustable golf tee set will not be
lost after each application.
[0028] FIG. 6 shows a golf tee set in accordance with a second
embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is
substantially similar to the aforesaid first embodiment with the
exception that the pointed shank 13 of the tee nail 1 has a
plurality of longitudinal locating ribs 131 spaced around the
periphery; the base block 21 and the annular spacer members 23 each
have a plurality of longitudinal locating grooves 241 equiangularly
arranged on the respective inside wall around the respective center
through hole 24 for receiving the longitudinal locating ribs 131 of
the pointed shank 13 to prohibit rotation of the tee nail 1
relative to the support 2. Alternatively, the longitudinal locating
ribs 131 can be formed in the center through hole 24 of the base
block 21 and each of the annular spacer members 23 of the support
2, and the longitudinal locating grooves 241 can be formed on the
periphery of the pointed shank 13 of the tee nail 1.
[0029] FIGS. 7 and 8 show a golf tee set in accordance with a third
embodiment of the present invention and its application example.
Similar to the aforesaid first embodiment of the present invention,
this third embodiment is comprised of a tee nail 1, a support 2 and
a connecting cord 3. The tee nail 1 is substantially similar to
that of the aforesaid first embodiment with the exception that the
pointed shank 13 of the tee nail 1 of this third embodiment has two
rows of locating grooves 132 arranged on the periphery at two sides
at different elevations. According to this embodiment, the locating
grooves 132 are rounded grooves. The support 2 in accordance with
this third embodiment comprises a base block 21, two spring members
213 and two retaining pins 211. The base block 21 has a center
through hole 24 corresponding to the outer diameter of the pointed
shank 13 of the tee nail 1, a top bearing portion 22 upwardly
extending from the top side around the center through hole 24 for
stopping against the bottom side of the shoulder 11 of the tee nail
1, and a plurality of wire holes 25 cut through the top and bottom
sides around the top bearing portion 22 for the mounting of the
connecting cord 3. The retaining pins 211 are movably mounted (in a
respective hole) in the base block 21 and partially extending out
of the base block 21 at two opposite sides, each having a rounded
locating tip 212, which is movable with the respective retaining
pin 211 in and out of the center through hole 24. The two spring
members 213 are mounted in the base block 21 at two sides to
support the retaining pins 211 in such a position that the rounded
locating tips 212 of the retaining pins 211 protrude into the
center through hole 24 of the base block 21. When in use, the
pointed shank 13 of the tee nail 1 is inserted through the center
through hole 24 of the base block 21 to force the rounded locating
tips 212 of the retaining pins 211 backwards against the respective
spring members 213. When two locating grooves 132 of the pointed
shank 13 of the tee nail 1 are in horizontal alignment with the
rounded locating tips 212 of the retaining pins 211 respectively,
the spring members 213 immediately force the rounded locating tips
212 of the retaining pins 211 forwards into engagement with the two
locating grooves 132 of the pointed shank 13 of the tee nail 1,
securing the base block 21 to the pointed shank 13 of the tee nail
1 at the desired elevation. When the user presses the retaining
pins 211 against the spring members 213, the rounded locating tips
212 of the retaining pins 211 are disengaged from the corresponding
locating grooves 132 of the pointed shank 13 of the tee nail 1,
allowing adjustment of the elevation of the base block 21 relative
to the pointed shank 13 of the tee nail 1 or removal of the base
block 21 from the tee nail 1. Further, elevational marks or signs
may be marked on the periphery of the pointed shank 13 of the tee
nail 1 corresponding to the locating grooves 132 for recognition of
different elevations.
[0030] FIGS. 9 and 10 show an adjustable golf tee set in accordance
with a fourth embodiment of the present invention. According to
this fourth embodiment, the tee nail 1 has a plurality of locating
grooves 132 arranged on the periphery of the pointed shank 13 at
two opposite sides at different elevations. The locating grooves
132 are elongated grooves extending in horizontal direction.
Further, the pointed shank 13 is a rectangular shank. The support 2
according to this fourth embodiment comprises a base block 21, a
U-clamp 214 mounted in the base block 21. The base block 21 has a
center through hole 24 for the passing of the pointed shank 13 of
the tee nail 1, a top bearing portion 22 upwardly extending from
the top side around the center through hole 24, and a plurality of
wire holes 25 cut through the top and bottom sides around the top
bearing portion 22 for the mounting of the connecting cord 3. The
U-clamp 214 is a U-shaped spring member affixed to the inside of
the base block 21, having two clamping spring arms 215 tangentially
extending through the center through hole 24 of the base block 21.
When in use, the pointed shank 13 of the tee nail 1 is inserted
through the center through hole 24 of the base block 21 to force
the two clamping spring arms 215 outwards, and then the tee nail 1
is rotated through an angle to let the two clamping spring arms 215
engage two of the locating grooves 132 of the tee nail 1, securing
the base block 21 firmly to the pointed shank 13 of the tee nail 1
at the desired elevation.
[0031] As stated above, the invention provides an adjustable golf
tee set, which has the features and benefits as follows:
[0032] 1. The user can selectively use the annular spacer blocks 23
with the base block 21 to support the tee nail 1 stably on the
ground and to control the nailing depth of the tee nail 1 in the
ground subject to different ball-striking needs.
[0033] 2. The design of the longitudinal locating ribs 131 and the
longitudinal locating grooves 241 assure positive engagement
between the support 2 and the tee nail 1, enabling the support 2 to
reinforce the strength of the tee nail 1 and to support the tee
nail 1 firmly in place to hold the golf ball for striking.
[0034] Although particular embodiments of the invention have been
described in detail for purposes of illustration, various
modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from
the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention
is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.
* * * * *