Golf ball package, holder and dispenser

A golf ball package, holder and dispenser with a cylindrical plastic molded base or sleeve, a replaceable plastic cover, and a deformable dispensing hole in the base side. The base is a one-piece plastic molding and the aperture is formed with an elliptical shape in the molding without additional parts.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The commercial golf equipment and accessories marketplace is known to be 
replete with novelty items utilizing various golf themes to promote 
dissimilarly functioned articles. For example, golf club heads or 
facsimilies thereof are sold as paperweights, cuff links and tie clasps. 
Similarly, various caricatures of golf bags have been utilized to function 
other than to hold golf clubs, for example, as wastebaskets and cane and 
umbrella holders. 
It has also been suggested in the past that a short metallic tube be 
provided to dispense golf balls that can be carried with the golfer's bag 
around the course. These tubes usually include some separate metal clip on 
the bottom to hold the balls in the tube and permit the balls to be 
selectively removed when desired from the bottom of the tube. 
Insofar as I am aware however, a one-piece plastic ball holder and 
dispenser has not been devised in the past and particularly not one that 
is capable of also functioning as the retail packaging for a sleeve of 
three balls. 
It is, therefore, the primary objecting of the present invention to 
ameliorate the problems noted above in packaging, holding and 
after-purchase dispensing of a sleeve of golf balls. 
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
In accordance with the present invention, a golf ball package, holder and 
dispenser device is provided that consists of a one-piece plastic molded 
base or sleeve with a replaceable plastic cover and deformable lower side 
opening that when relaxed is elliptical and holds the balls in the base 
and when squeezed becomes circular permitting the lower ball to exit the 
hole or opening. 
The base has a snap-lock top cover that completes the package and also 
serves to hold a plurality of tees in vertical positions after the 
original sale. An integral clip is provided on the side that permits the 
base and cover to be clipped to the top of the user's bag for convenient 
use as the golfer travels around the course. 
One of the principal advantages of the present invention is that the base 
and the cover with three balls in the base can be wrapped with the clear 
cellophane film and sold as a sleeve of balls through conventional retail 
golf ball marketing channels. When so wrapped it can also be utilized as a 
premium item to be given away to golfers at the first tee in amateur 
tournament play. 
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear more 
clearly from the following detailed description.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to the drawings and particularly in FIGS. 1 to 7, a golf ball 
package, holder and dispenser is illustrated generally indicated by the 
reference numeral 10 and is seen to include a one-piece plastic molded 
base or sleeve 11 and a one-piece plastic molded top or cover 12. As is 
apparent from the drawings, the base 11 generally takes the cosmetic form 
of a miniature caricature of a golf bag and it should be understood the 
non-functional aspects of the base 11 contributing to its appearance as a 
golf bag form no part of the present invention and are in fact the subject 
of our co-pending design application U.S. Ser. No. 303,392 filed Jan. 30, 
1989 entitled Golf Ball Package Design. 
Both the base 11 and cover 12 are formed of a durable somewhat flexible 
plastic such as polypropylene. 
The base 11 includes a generally cylindrical portion 14 having an integral 
closed bottom wall 15 (also see FIG. 10) having four integral radial 
projections 17, 18, 19 and 20 projecting upwardly therefrom. As shown in 
FIGS. 10 and 13 they engage and support lower ball 22 of the three balls 
in the base 11. The base has sufficient length to hold three balls in the 
configuration illustrated in FIG. 10 with some clearance at the top so 
that the present package 10 can be utilized as a substitute for a three 
ball sleeve-type package which is normally rectangular as will be apparent 
to those familiar with golf ball marketing. 
The base has a forwardly extending projection 24 that is solid as indicated 
in FIG. 10 except for an elliptical opening 26 therein at the lower end of 
the base having a horizontal central axis. The base 11 has finger slots 28 
and 29 that facilitate ball removal. 
The rear of base 11 has an integral rearwardly extending projection 30 that 
also is solid as indicated in FIG. 10 and diametrally opposite the solid 
forward extending projection 24 which affects the ball dispensing function 
as will appear hereinafter. 
The upper end of cylindrical base 11 has a small annular flange 32 
therearound that fits within a complementary annular recess 34 in the 
inside of cap 12 so that cap 12 may be releasably snap-locked to base 11. 
As seen in FIGS. 1 to 8 and 9, cap or cover 12 has an annular array of six 
tee receiving holes therein that receive and hold tees 37 when the package 
10 is in use by the consumer after removal of outer cellophane wrap that 
encircles and packages the base 11 and cap 12. Note the clearance between 
the upper ball illustrated in FIG. 10 and cover 12 permits the tees 37 to 
extend within the base 11 without interference with the upper ball. 
The base 11 includes an integral "S" shaped clip 38 having a downwardly 
rearwardly curved end 40 that facilitates clip opening as it engages the 
top of the golfer's bag as he clips package and dispenser 10 to the top of 
the bag. The spring flexibility of clip 38 assures that the base 11 will 
be firmly held against the user's golf bag as it travels the bumpy road 
around the course. 
As seen in FIG. 14, opening 26 in the forward projection 24 is slightly 
elliptical in configuration and sized so that it has a major horizontal 
diameter somewhat greater than the diameter of a standard American sized 
golf ball and a vertical minor diameter somewhat less than the diameter of 
this standard ball. In this way the lower ball 22 is prevented from 
exiting the base 11. An important aspect of the present invention is that 
the elliptical configuration of aperture or hole 26 is not the result of 
the tool core for hole 26 because it is in fact cylindrical, but instead a 
result of the differential wall thickness between thin wall portions 48 
and 50 in the base adjacent the sides of aperture 26 and the thick wall 
portions of projections 24 and 30 and their diametral positions as seen in 
FIG. 10. 
The thin wall portions 48 and 50 are sufficiently flexible, as seen in FIG. 
15, so that the user grasps the thin wall portions 48 and 50 with his 
thumb and index finger and squeezes these walls, they bend inwardly 
forcing hole 26 to become circular in configuration with a diameter 
slightly larger than the diameter of the standard ball. By squeezing walls 
48 and 50 slightly rearwardly of the center of the lower ball, the lower 
ball will be forced forwardly through aperture 26 into the golfer's hand 
without any difficult manipulations. 
In this way balls 22 are held firmly in the base 11 without any additional 
clips or other parts and yet the balls can be easily removed by the golfer 
.