Patent ID: 6152830
Filing Date: 2000-11-28
Classification: A63B

Abstract:
A putting practice system comprising:a cup end putting surface member;a forward end putting surface member hingedly attached to said cup end putting surface member with a hinge;left and right stance platform members detachably connectable to left and right sides of said forward end putting surface member; anda detachable electronic score keeping display attachable to said cup end putting surface member;said cup end putting surface member including a rigid cup end base structure member having a slanted ball return capture channel along a back end thereof, a ball return pipe running from a lowest point of said ball return capture channel to a ball transfer opening formed through a front end of said cup end putting surface member, a cup end putting surface fabric with a resilient backing attached to and covering an upper surface of said rigid cup end base structure member, a ball cup formed through said cup end putting surface fabric and said rigid cup end base structure member into connection with said ball return pipe at a location between said ball return capture channel and said front end of said cup end putting surface member, an inflatable bladder assembly having an inflatable bladder positioned between said cup end putting surface fabric and said rigid cup end putting surface member at a location between said ball cup and said front end of said cup end putting surface member and an inflation mechanism including an inflation tube routed through said rigid cup end base structure member to a bulb inflation mechanism attached to an exterior sidewall of said cup end putting surface member, a first ball passage sensor for detecting passage of a golf ball through said cup hole and generating a first ball sensor passage signal to a first output display socket connector formed into said back end of cup end putting surface member, and a second ball passage sensor positioned to detect passage of a golf ball through a section of said ball return pipe running between said ball return capture channel and said ball cup and generating a second ball sensor passage signal to a second output display socket connector formed into said back end of cup end putting surface member;said detachable electronic score keeping display having first and second signal receiving plugs that are each, respectively, insertable into one of said first and second output display sockets to electrically connect said electronic score keeping display to said first and second ball passage sensors, said electronic score keeping display having a display output for displaying said number of balls detected by each of said first and second ball passage sensors;said forward putting surface member having a rigid forward end base structure supporting a forward end putting surface fabric attached to an upper surface thereof and including a hinge end hingedly attached to said rigid cup end base structure member, said rigid forward end base structure having a return channel formed therein along an end thereof opposite said hinge end, a forward end ball return tube running from said hinge end in registration with said ball transfer opening of said ball return pipe to said return channel, and two pairs of stance platform alignment and connecting dowel receiving bores, each pair being formed into one of said left and right side surfaces thereof;said left and right stance platform members each including a rigid stance platform base structure having a stance platform putting surface attached thereto and a pair of alignment and connecting dowels sized to simultaneously frictionally fit into a pair of said stance platform alignment and connecting dowel receiving bores in a manner such that said stance platform putting surface is coplanar with said forward end putting surface fabric;said forward end putting surface member being hingedly attached to said cup end putting surface member such that at said point of juncture thereof said cup end putting surface fabric is coplanar with said forward end putting surface fabric.