Patent ID: 6726157
Filing Date: 2004-04-27
Classification: A63B,E01F,E06C,F16M

Abstract:
An automatically collapsible prop for propping a golf bag having a frame with a top and a bottom shaping part, comprising:a plurality of rigid poles for connecting said top and bottom shaping parts so as to form a space approximating the length of a golf club between them, said bottom shaping part having a lower surface with a stepped portion; a rack member fastened to said top shaping part having a central guide rail part formed between two side tooth parts with a number of elongated parallel teeth, said side tooth parts being inclined toward the inside of said golf bag symmetrically to each other; a slide mechanism having a central support part held and guided by said guide rail part, and a pair of pinion support parts symmetrically and integrally formed with said central support part; a pair of pinions rotatably mounted on the respective pinion support parts of said slide mechanism so as to respectively engage said two side tooth parts; a pair of legs respectively connected to said pair of pinions; a lever rod fastened to said slide mechanism with its one end part projected upward through the central support part of said slide mechanism for moving said slide mechanism upward by pushing the other end against the ground; a through threaded hole formed in said top shaping part operable to receive said one end part of said lever rod; a screw cap made with a hollow to receive the one end of said lever rod for closing the upper end of said through threaded hole by engaging its threads; an accordion-shaped bellows located in said stepped portion of said lower surface of said bottom shaping part and within an outer periphery of said bottom shaping part, said bellows receiving a lower end of said lever rod; and a coil spring mounted between the central support part of said slide mechanism and the lower end of said screw cap for normally pushing said slide mechanism downward, wherein if the other end of said lever rod is pushed against ground, said slide mechanism moves upward overcoming the resilient force of said coil spring so as to rotate said pinions engaged by said side tooth parts and thus to spread said pair of legs in a triangular rest position with respect to said inner frame, while if the other end of said lever rod is released from the ground, said slide mechanism moves downward by the resilient force of said coil spring so as to reversibly rotate said pinions and thus to collapse said pair of legs into the original carriage position wherein said lever rod is positioned within inner portions of said top and bottom shaping parts so that it can be covered with a fabric along with said top and bottom shaping parts.