Patent ID: 6662396
Filing Date: 2003-12-16
Classification: A63B

Abstract:
A golf ball cleaner comprising:a) a housing having (1) a first end wall, (2) a second end wall, (3) a longitudinal axis extending between the first end wall and the second end wall, (4) a first side wall having a rear end and a front end, (5) a second side wall having a rear end and a front end, (6) the rear ends of the first and second side walls of said housing being co-planar with each other, (7) the front ends of the first and second side walls of said housing being co-planar with each other, (8) a width axis extending between the first side wall and the second side wall, (9) a rear wall having an inner surface and an outer surface and extending between the rear end of the first side wall of said housing and the rear end of the second side wall of said housing, (10) a thickness axis extending between the rear ends of the first and second side walls and the front ends of the first and second side walls, and (11) the first side wall being flexible to move toward the second side wall when force is applied to the first side wall in the direction of the width axis; b) a hollow cleaner liquid-containing compartment located adjacent to the first side wall of said housing and having (1) a planar inner wall spaced from the first side wall of said housing along the width axis of said housing, the planar inner wall (A) being located near the longitudinal axis of said housing, (B) being located between the first end wall of said housing and the second end-wall of said housing, (C) extending from the inner surface of the rear wall of said housing in the direction of the thickness axis of said housing, (D) having a front end located to be co-planar with the co-planar front ends of the first and second side walls of said housing, and (E) having an outside surface, (2) a front wall that is located to be co-planar with the co-planar front ends of the first side wall and the second side wall of said housing and the front end of the inner wall of said cleaner liquid-containing compartment and extends from the first side wall of said housing toward the second side wall of said housing in the direction of the width axis of said housing, (3) a first end wall that is located to be co-planar with the first end wall of said housing and which extends from the first side wall of said housing toward the second side wall of said housing in the direction of the width axis of said housing, (4) a second end wall that is spaced from the first end wall of said cleaner liquid-containing compartment in the direction of the longitudinal axis of said housing and which is co-planar with the second end wall of said housing and which extends from the first side wall of said housing toward the second side wall of said housing in the direction of the width axis of said housing, (5) a chamber defined between the first and second end walls of said cleaner liquid-containing compartment and between the first side wall of said housing and the inner wall of said cleaner liquid-containing compartment and between the inner surface of the rear wall of said housing and the front wall of said cleaner liquid-containing compartment, (6) a port defined through the first end wall of said cleaner liquid-containing compartment, (7) a closure cap covering the port of said cleaner liquid-containing compartment when said cleaner liquid-containing compartment is closed, (8) a multiplicity of openings defined through the inner wall of said cleaner liquid-containing compartment, and (9) a multiplicity of bristles on the outside surface of the inner wall of said cleaner liquid-containing compartment; c) a scrubbing element on the second side wall of said housing and including (1) a front wall on the front end of the second side wall of said housing and which is co-planar with the front wall of said cleaner liquid-containing compartment and which extends toward the first side wall of said housing along the width axis of said housing, (2) a planar inner wall spaced from the second side wall of said housing along the width axis of said housing, the planar inner wall of said scrubbing element (A) being located near the longitudinal axis of said housing, (B) being located between the first end wall of said housing and the second end wall of said housing, (C) extending from the inner surface of the rear wall of said housing in the direction of the thickness axis of said housing, (D) having a front end located to be co-planar with the co-planar front ends of the first and second side walls of said housing, and (E) having an outside surface, (3) a first end wall on the first end of said housing and extending co-planar with the first end wall of said cleaner liquid-containing compartment toward the first side wall of said housing in the direction of the width axis of said housing and extending toward the front wall of said scrubbing element in the direction of the thickness direction of said housing, (4) a second end wall on the second end of said housing and extending co-planar with the second end wall of said cleaner liquid-containing compartment toward the first side wall of said housing in the direction of the width axis of said housing and extending toward the front wall of said scrubbing element in the direction of the thickness direction of said housing, and (5) a multiplicity of bristles on the outside surface of the inner wall of said scrubbing element; d) the bristles on the inner wall of said cleaner liquid-containing compartment being spaced apart from the bristles on the inner wall of said scrubbing element; c) an open channel defined between the bristles on the inner wall of said cleaner liquid-containing compartment and the bristles on the inner wall of said scrubbing element and the inner surface of the rear wall of said housing, said open channel being open between the front wall of said cleaner liquid-containing compartment and the front wall of said scrubbing element; f) a golf ball-moving element movably mounted on the inner surface of the rear wall of said housing, the golf ball-moving element (1) being located in said open channel between the bristles on the inner wall of said cleaner. liquid-containing compartment and the bristles on the inner wall of said scrubbing element, (2) including a body slidably mounted on the inner surface of the rear wall of said housing and having a proximal end and a distal end, with the distal end being located in said open channel, (3) a handle on the proximal end of the body of said golf ball-moving element and which extends in the width direction of said housing, (4) a golf ball-supporting platform on the distal end of the body of said golf ball-moving element, the golf ball-supporting platform (A) having a rear end located near the inner surface of the rear wall of said housing, (B) having a front end spaced from the rear end of the golf ball-supporting platform in the thickness direction of said housing, (C) extending from the inner surface of the rear wall of said housing in the thickness direction of said housing, (D) extending between the bristles on the inner wall of said cleaner liquid-containing compartment and the bristles on the inner wall of said scrubbing element in the width direction of said housing, and (E) the golf ball-supporting platform of said golf ball-moving element moving between a first location adjacent to the first end of said housing and a second location adjacent to the second end of said housing in the direction of the longitudinal axis of said housing; and g) a clip unit on the outer surface of the rear wall of said housing and including two clip elements which are spaced apart from each other in the direction of the width axis of said housing.