Extendible hand hold device for golf and recreation carts

The present invention relates generally to an extendible and retractable hand hold device for use on golf carts and other transportation vehicles by children and smaller adults to add increased stability and safety. The extendable and retractable hand hold device is securely mounted to the roof of a typical golf cart. The hand hold device has a graspable handle on one end, a length-adjustable shaft and a hinge on the other end. The hinged end is further connected to a mounting plate for securing the device to the roof of the cart. The device is rotatable downward from a stored position where it is flat along the underside of the roof, to an in-use position where it is extending downwardly from the roof to a position that is reachable by any size golf cart user or occupant.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to an extendible hand hold stability and safety device for golf and other recreation carts that is reachable and usable for children and shorter adults that are unable to reach the currently provided hand holds. More specifically, the invention relates to an extendible hand hold device for golf carts that is securely installed under or molded into and as part of the current canopy roof or a similar and proximal location of a cart that rotates from a flat, clamped position adjacent to the roof when not in use to an accessible position to assist the occupant in providing a reachable and easily accessible hand hold.

2. Description of Related Art

The use of golf carts on and off the golf course as a means of transportation has grown into a billion dollar industry. Golf type carts are now routinely used for transportation purposes at sporting events, airports, hospitals, concerts, apartment complexes, resorts, storage facilities, college campuses, military bases and by many other businesses at various locations. For example, in retirement communities golf carts have become the primary means of transportation, and many communities have approved them for use as street legal vehicles. As the use of these carts is becoming more widespread in settings both on and off the golf course, the number of documented injuries to users has risen. The United States Consumer Products Safety Commission (USCPSC) conducted a study in 2010, which found approximately 15,000 golf cart related injuries requiring emergency room treatment each year. Of these injuries, approximately 40% involve children (age<16) and 50% of these injuries resulted from the user falling from a moving cart, especially during left turns.

The current design of golf carts has evolved over the past 10-15 years and the larger, metal tubular arm rails that were common have been replaced by small, irregularly-shaped hard plastic hip restraints. The old metal arm rails served as both a hand hold device and a restraint for keeping the occupant from sliding off of the cart's bench style seat during its operation including while turning. The new smaller hip restraints have limited effectiveness as a hand hold device due to their size, shape and proximity to a user's arm during normal operation. To provide additional safety, the cart manufacturers have added an alternative hand hold located in the canopy roof top of the golf cart, which allows taller users to a way to stabilize themselves during operation and especially during turns. However, due to its location in the roof and subsequent height above the seat, this hand hold is inaccessible to children and smaller adults because their arms are not long enough to reach the hand hold, which makes them especially susceptible to ejection and falls due to their reliance solely upon the hip restraint as a hand hold for stability. This group is in further danger of their small size and because their feet cannot reach the floor, which makes the need for an accessible hand hold even more important. Several studies have been conducted by various accident research and biomechanical experts which further supports and hows this danger.

It is therefore desirable to have an extendable and retractable hand hold device that is accessible to and can be used by children and smaller adult to assist in holding themselves securely in the cart to help eliminate the possibility of a fall or ejection from the cart during normal operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides generally for an extendible and retractable hand hold device for use on golf carts and other transportation vehicles by children and smaller adults occupants and passengers to add increased stability and safety. The extendable and retractable hand hold device is securely mounted to the roof of a typical golf cart. In some types of carts, it may be desirable to have multiple devices installed for each occupant that does not currently have an accessible hand hold device. The hand hold device has a graspable handle on one end, a length-adjustable shaft (or shafts) and a hinge on the other end. The hinged end is further connected to a mounting plate (or mounting plates if more than one shaft) for securing the device to the roof of the cart. The device is rotatable downward from a stored position where it is flat along the underside of the roof, to an in-use position where it is extending downwardly from the roof to a position that is reachable by any size golf cart user. The rotation between positions is allowed through the use of the hinged connection between the hinged shaft end of the device and the mounting plate to make it further accessible to occupants of all sizes and heights.

The device also includes a clamping mechanism mounted to the roof of the golf cart that clamps the device and holds it secure to the underside of the roof when the device is rotated up in its stored position when not in use, or alternatively, a sprig-loaded mechanism that holds it securely in its stored position when not in use. The shaft(s) of the device is preferably extendable and retractable through a telescopic motion to allow the length of the shaft to be adjusted to accommodate individual occupants based on their size and height. The longer the shaft is extended, the closer the graspable handle will be to the occupant when the hand hold device is rotated downward into its in-use position.

The novel features and construction of the present invention, as well as additional objects thereof, will be understood more fully from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Like reference numerals are used to describe like parts in all figures of the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring toFIG. 1, prior art golf cart10is shown with hip restraints14, roof15, roof handle holes16and seat18. In normal operation, the user of golf cart10sits on seat18with his hip in contact with or close proximity to hip restraint14. The user also can grasp roof handle hole16to provide stability and help prevent ejection from the vehicle during turns and other maneuvers of the cart. Extendible and retractable hand hold device12is shown in its lowered in-use position, which provides shorter users with arms not long enough to reach roof handle hole16a reachable, graspable handle. In its in-use position shown, hand hold device12extends perpendicularly down from its secure attachment point on roof15.

Referring toFIGS. 2 and 3, extendible and retractable hand hold device12is shown. Hand hold device12is preferably comprised of shaft26, which connects graspable handle20to hinge24. Graspable handle20is the portion of hand hold device12that is intended to be grasped by the user. Graspable handle20can either be rotatable in relation to shaft26or fixed in relation to shaft26. Shaft26is shown with a square cross-section in the figures, but could take on a variety of different shaped cross-sections, including circular. Hinge24is mechanically connected to mounting bracket22. Mounting bracket22is used to securely attach hand hold device12to roof15of prior art golf cart10shown inFIG. 1. In an alternate embodiment, mounting bracket22can be integrally molded into roof15of prior art golf cart10. In the preferred embodiment, mounting bracket22has two holes which allows the attachment of mounting bracket22to roof15through the use of bolts and nuts, but any known, secure attachment method could be used to secure hand hold device12to roof15. Hinge24allows rotation of hand hold device12while mounting bracket24remains stationary and securely attached to roof15. Alternatively, hand hold device12can be releasably attached to mounting bracket24to allow removal of hand hold device12when not in use. In this embodiment, mounting bracket24would remain attached to roof15.

FIG. 2shows hand hold device12in its fully retracted state wherein shaft26is at its shortest length. In this state, outer upper shaft26ais adjacent to and contacting lower outer shaft26b.FIG. 3shows hand hold device12in an extended state wherein shaft26is not at its shortest length. In this extended state, outer upper shaft26ais not in contact nor adjacent to outer lower shaft26b. Inner shaft30, which resides inside of outer shafts26aand26bis visible when hand hold device12is in an extended state. Outer shafts26aand26bare slidable along inner shaft30and locked in place at the desired location through the use of spring-loaded detents (not shown) and receiving holes28. Although the use of dual shafts is the preferred embodiment to allow for extendibility because it provides additional support, any known mechanisms for allowing extendibility would also be acceptable. Such other mechanisms could include a single outer and inner shaft wherein the inner shaft slides inside of the outer shaft and is locked in place by a similar detent/hole mechanism or through the use of a round telescoping shaft with an external screw down friction ring, which provides more precise length adjustment.

Referring toFIG. 4, underside17of roof15of golf cart10is shown with hand hold device12mounted thereto through the use of mounting bracket22. Hand hold device12is shown in its stored position adjacent to and flat against underside17of roof15. Hand hold device is preferably held in this stored position through the use of clamp32, which frictionally engages and releasably holds shaft26. While the use of clamp32is the preferred embodiment, any other known holding mechanism or method could be employed as long as it provides secure, yet releasable, engagement of hand hold device12to underside17of roof15. For example, straps or ties could be installed on underside17of roof15and be used to keep hand hold12in its stored position.

In use, a golf cart rider who desired a hand hold device that was lower than roof handle holes16would unclamp shaft26from claim32, which would allow hand hold device12to rotate down around hinge24into its in-use position (as shown inFIG. 1). The user could position graspable handle20at the desired position by altering the length of shaft26. If the user decided to not use hand hold device12, the user could simply rotate hand hold device12back into its stored position and clamp it in place on the underside17of roof15where it would not interfere with normal cart operation. Graspable handle20and shaft26are constructed of any materials sufficiently rigid to withstand the forces applied by the users when the golf cart is in motion.

Other alterations and modifications of the invention will likewise become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the present disclosure, and it is intended that the scope of the invention disclosed herein be limited only by the broadest interpretation of the appended claims to which the inventor is legally entitled.