U.S. patent application number 17/265800 was filed with the patent office on 2021-06-03 for golf club head cover.
The applicant listed for this patent is GOTO CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Shinji GOTO, Kazuya OGATA.
Application Number | 20210162285 17/265800 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005448905 |
Filed Date | 2021-06-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210162285 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
GOTO; Shinji ; et
al. |
June 3, 2021 |
GOLF CLUB HEAD COVER
Abstract
A golf club head cover (10) includes: a cover main body (11)
formed so as to house a head (H) of a golf club, the cover main
body (11) having an opening (11a) that allows a shaft (S) of the
golf club to protrude outside in a state in which the head (H) is
housed; a lid part (12) that opens and closes the opening (11a);
and an attaching means (13, 14) for attaching a peripheral edge
portion of the lid part (12) to a peripheral edge portion of the
opening (11a) so as to bring the peripheral edge portion of the lid
part (12) into close contact with the peripheral edge portion of
the opening (11a), the attaching means (13, 14) being configured
such that a close contact position of the peripheral edge portion
of the lid part (12) with respect to the peripheral edge portion of
the opening (11a) varies in accordance with the position of the
shaft (S) protruding from the opening (11a). The head cover (10)
can be easily attached to any of the heads (H) of various types of
golf clubs having different positions of the shafts (S) with
respect to the heads (H).
Inventors: |
GOTO; Shinji; (Okayama,
JP) ; OGATA; Kazuya; (Okayama, JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
GOTO CO., LTD. |
Okayama |
|
JP |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005448905 |
Appl. No.: |
17/265800 |
Filed: |
August 3, 2018 |
PCT Filed: |
August 3, 2018 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/JP2018/029228 |
371 Date: |
February 3, 2021 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 60/62 20151001;
A63B 2209/08 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A63B 60/62 20060101
A63B060/62 |
Claims
1. A golf club head cover comprising: a cover main body formed so
as to house a head of a golf club, the cover main body having an
opening that allows a shaft of the golf club to protrude outside in
a state in which the head is housed; a lid part that opens and
closes the opening; and an attaching means for attaching a
peripheral edge portion of the lid part to a peripheral edge
portion of the opening so as to bring the peripheral edge portion
of the lid part into close contact with the peripheral edge portion
of the opening, the attaching means being configured such that a
close contact position of the peripheral edge portion of the lid
part with respect to the peripheral edge portion of the opening
varies in accordance with a position of the shaft protruding from
the opening.
2. The golf club head cover according to claim 1, wherein the
attaching means comprises: a first magnet provided on one of the
peripheral edge portion of the lid part and the peripheral edge
portion of the opening; and a second magnet or magnetic body
provided on another of the peripheral edge portion of the lid part
and the peripheral edge portion of the opening, the second magnet
or magnet body being attracted by the first magnet.
3. The golf club head cover according to claim 1, wherein the
opening is formed so as to be opened in a direction approximately
perpendicular to an extending direction of the shaft.
4. The golf club head cover according to claim 1, wherein the golf
club head cover is a head cover for a putter.
5. The golf club head cover according to claim 2, wherein the
opening is formed so as to be opened in a direction approximately
perpendicular to an extending direction of the shaft.
6. The golf club head cover according to claim 2, wherein the golf
club head cover is a head cover for a putter.
7. The golf club head cover according to claim 3, wherein the golf
club head cover is a head cover for a putter.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a head cover for a golf
club.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] A golf club head cover has heretofore been known for
protecting the head of a golf club (such as a wood, iron, utility,
or putter, for example) when the golf club is not used (Patent
Document 1, for example).
[0003] The golf club head cover described in Patent Document 1
includes a main body bag portion in which the head of a golf club
is put and a tongue portion that can be engaged with the main body
bag portion so as to close an opening portion of the main body bag
portion after the head is inserted through the opening portion.
This golf club head cover is configured such that after the head is
inserted into the main body bag portion through the opening
portion, the tongue portion is engaged with the main body bag
portion thereby to attach the golf club head cover to the head.
PRIOR ART DOCUMENT
Patent Document
[0004] [Patent Document 1] Registered Utility Model No. 3114460
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0005] In the technique described in Patent Document 1, when the
golf club head cover is attached to the head, the shaft of the golf
club protrudes from a shaft penetrating portion provided at a
peripheral edge portion of the opening portion. Incidentally, there
are various types of golf clubs having different shaft positions
with respect to the heads, for example, such as a putter with a
center shaft and a right-handed or left-handed L-shaped putter.
However, in the golf club head cover described in Patent Document
1, positions of the head storage space and the shaft penetrating
portion are fixed; therefore, the golf club head cover can be
attached only to a golf club having a head and a shaft
corresponding to those positions and it is difficult to attach the
golf club head cover to other types of golf clubs.
[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the
above problem and an object of the present invention is to provide
a golf club head cover that can be easily attached to any of the
heads of various types of golf clubs having different shaft
positions with respect to the heads.
Means for Solving the Problems
[0007] To solve the above problem, the present invention provides a
golf club head cover comprising: a cover main body formed so as to
house a head of a golf club, the cover main body having an opening
that allows a shaft of the golf club to protrude outside in a state
in which the head is housed; a lid part that opens and closes the
opening; and an attaching means for attaching a peripheral edge
portion of the lid part to a peripheral edge portion of the opening
so as to bring the peripheral edge portion of the lid part into
close contact with the peripheral edge portion of the opening, the
attaching means being configured such that a close contact position
of the peripheral edge portion of the lid part with respect to the
peripheral edge portion of the opening varies in accordance with
the position of the shaft protruding from the opening (Invention
1).
[0008] According to the invention (Invention 1), the close contact
position of the peripheral edge portion of the lid part with
respect to the peripheral edge portion of the opening can be varied
in accordance with the position of the shaft protruding from the
opening and, therefore, even when the head of a type of golf club
is housed in the cover main body, for example, the peripheral edge
portion of the lid part can be attached to the peripheral edge
portion of the opening in a state in which the close contact
position varies in accordance with the position of the shaft of
that golf club. Thus, the golf club head cover can be easily
attached to any of the heads of various types of golf clubs having
different shaft positions with respect to the heads.
[0009] In the above invention (Invention 1), the attaching means
may comprise: a first magnet provided on one of the peripheral edge
portion of the lid part and the peripheral edge portion of the
opening; and a second magnet or magnetic body provided on the other
of the peripheral edge portion of the lid part and the peripheral
edge portion of the opening, the second magnet or magnet body being
attracted by the first magnet (Invention 2).
[0010] According to the invention (Invention 2), the attractive
magnetic force between the first magnet and the second magnet or
magnetic body allows the peripheral edge portion of the lid part to
be attached to the peripheral edge portion of the opening in close
contact with each other.
[0011] In the above invention (Invention 1, 2), the opening may be
formed so as to be opened in a direction approximately
perpendicular to the extending direction of the shaft (Invention
3).
[0012] According to the invention (Invention 3), the lid part can
be attached to the peripheral edge portion of the opening so as not
to be interrupted with the shaft as compared, for example, with the
case in which the opening is formed so as to be opened in the same
direction as the extending direction of the shaft.
[0013] In the above invention (Invention 1 to 3), the golf club
head cover may be a head cover for a putter (Invention 4) .
[0014] As described above, there are various types of putters
having different shaft positions with respect to the heads, for
example, such as a putter with a center shaft and a right-handed or
left-handed L-shaped putter. According to the invention (Invention
4), the golf club head cover can be easily attached, for example,
to the head of each of a putter with a center shaft, a right-handed
L-shaped putter, a left-handed L-shaped putter, etc.
Effect of the Invention
[0015] According to the golf club head cover of the present
invention, the golf club head cover can be easily attached to any
of the heads of various types of golf clubs having different shaft
positions with respect to the heads.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0016] FIG. 1 is a view schematically illustrating the basic
configuration of a golf club head cover according to an embodiment
of the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 2(a) is a front view of the golf club head cover in a
state in which the opening is opened, and FIG. 2(b) is a side view
of the golf club head cover in a state in which the opening is
opened.
[0018] FIG. 3(a) is a front view of the golf club head cover in a
state in which the opening is closed, and FIG. 3(b) is a side view
of the golf club head cover in a state in which the opening is
closed.
[0019] FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) are views for describing an example of
the case in which the close contact position of the peripheral edge
portion of the lid part with respect to the peripheral edge portion
of the opening varies in accordance with the position of the shaft
when the head of the golf club is housed.
EMBODIMENTS FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0020] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be
described with reference to the appended drawings. Note, however,
that this embodiment is merely an example and the present invention
is not limited to this.
[0021] FIG. 1 is a view schematically illustrating the basic
configuration of a golf club head cover (referred to as a "head
cover," hereinafter) according to an embodiment of the present
invention, FIG. 2(a) is a front view of the head cover in a state
in which the opening is opened, and FIG. 2(b) is a side view of the
head cover in a state in which the opening is opened. FIG. 3(a) is
a front view of the head cover in a state in which the opening is
closed and FIG. 3(b) is a side view of the head cover in a state in
which the opening is closed. FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) are views for
describing an example of the case in which the close contact
position of the peripheral edge portion of the lid part with
respect to the peripheral edge portion of the opening varies in
accordance with the position of the shaft when the head of the golf
club is housed.
[0022] As illustrated in FIG. 1, a head cover 10 according to the
present embodiment is to protect a head H of a golf club (such as a
wood, iron, utility, or putter, for example) and includes a
bag-like cover main body 11 and a lid part 12. The cover main body
11 may be formed such that a storage space for housing the head H
extends in the length direction (Y direction in the figure). The
lid part 12 is configured to open and close an opening 11a that is
formed on one end side in the length direction of the cover main
body 11 for the head H to be inserted into the storage space.
[0023] The peripheral edge portion of the opening 11a of the cover
main body 11 and the peripheral edge portion of the lid part 12 may
be provided with a plurality of first magnets 13 and a plurality of
second magnets (illustrated in FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b) to FIGS. 4(a)
and 4(b)) for attaching the peripheral edge portion of the lid part
12 to the peripheral edge portion of the opening 11a. Here, the
plurality of first magnets 13 and the plurality of second magnets
14 represent an example of the "attaching means" of the present
invention.
[0024] In the present embodiment, the lid part 12 may be integrally
formed with the cover main body 11 at the peripheral edge portion
of the opening 11a of the cover main body 11. The present
embodiment will be described with an exemplary case in which the
head cover 10 is a head cover for a putter (a mallet-type putter,
for example).
[0025] The cover main body 11 may have a shape and sizes (width
(dimension in the X direction in the figure), length (dimension in
the Y direction in the figure), and height (dimension in the Z
direction in the figure) that allow the head H to be housed in the
internal storage space. The cover main body 11 may be formed so as
to house only the head H or may also be formed so as to house not
only the head H but also the neck (not illustrated) of the golf
club and the base portion (portion on the head H side) of a shaft
S.
[0026] The width (dimension in the X direction in the figure) and
height (dimension in the Z direction in the figure) of the opening
11a may be set to dimensions that allow the head H to be inserted
through the opening 11a. In the present embodiment, when the head H
of the golf club is housed in the storage space in the cover main
body 11, the shaft S of the golf club protrudes from the opening
11a to the outside of the cover main body 11. Here, the opening 11a
may be formed so as to be opened in a direction (Y direction in the
figure) approximately perpendicular to the extending direction (Z
direction in the figure) of the shaft S. This allows the lid part
12 to be attached to the peripheral edge portion of the opening 11a
so as not to be interrupted with the shaft S as compared, for
example, with the case in which the opening 11a is formed so as to
be opened in the same direction (Z direction in the figure) as the
extending direction of the shaft S.
[0027] The lid part 12 has a shape and sizes that allow its
peripheral edge portion to be attached to the peripheral edge
portion of the opening 11a. In the present embodiment, as
illustrated in FIG. 1, the case in which the lid part 12 is formed
in a flat plate shape will be described as an example, but
embodiments of the present invention are not limited to this case.
For example, the lid part 12 may be formed with a recessed portion
that can accommodate a part of the head H of the golf club.
[0028] Examples of the material of the cover main body 11 and the
lid part 12 include, but are not limited to, materials having a
cushioning property (e.g., leather, synthetic leather, cloth,
non-woven fabric, knit, etc.). The cover main body 11 may be formed
of different materials on the outside and the inside (e.g.,
synthetic leather on the outside and raised fabric on the inside,
etc.), and a cushioning material, for example, may be provided
between the material on the outside and the material on the inside
in order to enhance the effect of protecting the head H.
[0029] As illustrated in FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b), a plurality of first
magnets 13 may be provided at intervals on the peripheral edge
portion of the opening 11a of the cover main body 11. The number
and magnetic force of the first magnets 13 may be appropriately set
in accordance, for example, with the ease of opening and closing
operations for the lid part 12.
[0030] In addition, a plurality of second magnets 14 that attract
the plurality of corresponding first magnets 13 may be provided on
the peripheral edge portion of the lid part 12. As illustrated in
FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), each of the plurality of second magnets 14 may
be provided at a position facing each of the plurality of first
magnets 13 when the lid part 12 is attached to the peripheral edge
portion of the opening 11a so as to close the opening 11a. This
allows the peripheral edge portion of the lid part 12 to be
attached to the peripheral edge portion of the opening 11a in close
contact with each other by the attractive magnetic force between
the plurality of first magnets 13 and the plurality of second
magnets 14. The number and magnetic force of the plurality of
second magnets 14 may be appropriately set in the same manner as
that for the first magnets 13.
[0031] In the present embodiment, the plurality of first magnets 13
and the plurality of second magnets 14 are provided at respective
intervals, so that, as will be described later, the close contact
position of the peripheral edge portion of the lid part 12 with
respect to the peripheral edge portion of the opening 11a varies in
accordance with the position of the shaft S protruding from the
opening 11a.
[0032] A method of attaching the head cover 10 configured as
described above to the head H of the golf club will be described.
First, when the opening 11a is opened as illustrated in FIG. 1 and
FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b), the head H of the golf club is inserted into
the cover main body 11 through the opening 11a. Here, the head H of
the golf club is inserted into the cover main body 11 in a state in
which the shaft S of the golf club extends in a direction (Z
direction in the figure) approximately perpendicular to the opening
direction (Y direction in the figure) of the opening 11a.
[0033] Then, as illustrated in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), when the lid
part 12 is moved so as to close the opening 11a, the plurality of
second magnets 14 provided on the peripheral edge portion of the
lid part 12 attracts the plurality of first magnets 13 provided on
the peripheral edge portion of the opening 11a, and the lid part 12
is thereby attached to the peripheral edge portion of the opening
11a so that the peripheral edge portion of the lid part 12 comes
into close contact with the peripheral edge portion of the opening
11a.
[0034] Here, as illustrated in FIG. 4(a), the peripheral edge
portion of the opening 11a and the peripheral edge portion of the
lid part 12 are not in close contact with each other at a place at
which the shaft S is interposed between the peripheral edge portion
of the opening 11a and the peripheral edge portion of the lid part
12, but at other places, the plurality of second magnets 14
attracts the plurality of first magnets 13 thereby to bring the
peripheral edge portion of the opening 11a and the peripheral edge
portion of the lid part 12 into close contact with each other;
therefore, the lid part 12 can be prevented from being easily
detached from the peripheral edge portion of the opening 11a, and
the head cover 10 can be stably attached to the head H of the golf
club.
[0035] Moreover, as illustrated in FIG. 4(b), even when the head
cover 10 is attached to another type of golf club with a different
position of the shaft S with respect to the head H, the place at
which the shaft S is interposed between the peripheral edge portion
of the opening 11a and the peripheral edge portion of the lid part
12 is different from the place in the case of FIG. 4(a), but at
other places, the plurality of second magnets 14 attracts the
plurality of first magnets 13 thereby to bring the peripheral edge
portion of the opening 11a and the peripheral edge portion of the
lid part 12 into close contact with each other (i.e., the close
contact position varies as compared with the case of FIG. 4(a));
therefore, the lid part 12 can be prevented from being easily
detached from the peripheral edge portion of the opening 11a, and
the head cover 10 can be stably attached to the head H of the golf
club.
[0036] Thus, the head cover 10 according to the present embodiment
can be easily attached to any of the heads H of various types of
golf clubs having different positions of the shafts S with respect
to the heads H.
[0037] When the head cover 10 is released from the head H, the
peripheral portion of the lid part 12 is pulled away from the
peripheral edge portion of the opening 11a thereby to put the
opening 11a into a state of being opened, and the head H is taken
out from the cover main body 11. This allows the head cover 10 to
be easily released from the head H.
[0038] As described above, according to the head cover 10 of the
present embodiment, the close contact position of the peripheral
edge portion of the lid part 12 with respect to the peripheral edge
portion of the opening 11a can be varied in accordance with the
position of the shaft S protruding from the opening 11a; therefore,
even when the head H of a type of golf club is housed in the cover
main body 11, for example, the peripheral edge portion of the lid
part 12 can be attached to the peripheral edge portion of the
opening 11a in a state in which the close contact position varies
in accordance with the position of the shaft S of the golf club.
Thus, the head cover 10 can be easily attached to any of the heads
H of various types of golf clubs having different positions of the
shafts S with respect to the heads H.
[0039] The head cover 10 of the present embodiment may be used for
any of golf clubs such as a wood, an iron, a utility, and a putter,
for example, but it is effective to use the configuration of the
present embodiment particularly when the head cover 10 is a head
cover for a putter. That is, there are various types of putters
having different positions of the shafts S with respect to the
heads H, for example, such as a putter with a center shaft and a
right-handed or left-handed L-shaped putter, but as described
above, the head cover 10 of the present embodiment can be easily
attached, for example, to the head H of each of a putter with a
center shaft, a right-handed L-shaped putter, a left-handed
L-shaped putter, and the like; therefore, it is extremely effective
to use the configuration of the present embodiment for the head
cover for a putter.
[0040] The embodiment heretofore explained is described to
facilitate understanding of the present invention and is not
described to limit the present invention. It is therefore intended
that the elements disclosed in the above embodiments include all
design changes and equivalents to fall within the technical scope
of the present invention.
[0041] In the above embodiment, the description has been made for
an exemplary case in which the plurality of first magnets 13 and
the plurality of second magnets 14 are provided, but the present
invention is not limited to this case. For example, as substitute
for one of the plurality of first magnets 13 and the plurality of
second magnets 14, magnetic bodies (such as iron plates, for
example) that are attracted by the other of the plurality of first
magnets 13 and the plurality of second magnets 14 may be
provided.
[0042] In the above embodiment, the description has been made for
an exemplary case in which the plurality of first magnets 13 and
the plurality of second magnets 14 are provided, but the number of
the first magnets 13 and/or the second magnets 14 may be one. In
this case, the first magnet 13 may be continuously provided over
the entire peripheral edge portion of the opening 11a, and/or the
second magnet 14 may be continuously provided over the entire
peripheral edge portion of the lid part 12.
[0043] In the above embodiment, the description has been made for
an exemplary case in which the plurality of first magnets 13 and
the plurality of second magnets 14 are provided as the attaching
means, but the attaching means may also be, for example, a
hook-and-loop fastener, a seal, a button, a hook, or the like.
[0044] In the above embodiment, the description has been made for
an exemplary case in which the lid part 12 is formed integrally
with the cover main body 11, but the lid part 12 may also be formed
separately from the cover main body 11.
[0045] In the above embodiment, the description has been made for
an exemplary case in which the cover main body 11 is formed such
that the head H of the golf club is inserted through the opening
11a, but, for example, the cover main body 11 may also be provided
with a slit for inserting the head H of the golf club separately
from the opening 11a.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
[0046] The golf club head cover of the present invention can be
suitably used as a golf club head cover that can be easily attached
to any of the heads of various types of golf clubs having different
shaft positions with respect to the heads, and the industrial
applicability thereof is very high.
DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
[0047] 10 Golf club head cover [0048] 11 Cover main body [0049] 11a
Opening [0050] 12 Lid part [0051] 13 First magnet [0052] 14 Second
magnet [0053] H Head [0054] S Shaft
* * * * *