Golf bag rain cover

A golf bag rain cover is used to cover a club opening of a golf bag so that the golfer's clubs can remain as dry as possible during play. The golf bag rain cover may comprise a one-piece shell being constructed of a water-resistant material which is held in a bonnet shape over the club opening by several extensible rods. The golfer simply reaches up and under the shell to retrieve or replace clubs. In alternate embodiments, the deployment of the rain cover can be adjusted to allow more or easier access to the clubs. Also in alternate embodiments, the rain cover may be stowed in a stowage element integral with the golf bag.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention pertains generally to sporting goods accessories and more particularly to rain covers for golf bags.

BACKGROUND OF THE FIELD

Golf is a popular sport in this country and around the world and is played under all sorts of weather conditions. A golfer needs a cover for his golf bag to keep the clubs dry but accessible to him during play. Many existing golf bag covers are inefficient at keeping the clubs dry or are complicated to use, resulting in less than optimal accessibility.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems by providing a golf bag rain cover which may fit bonnet-like over the club opening of a golf bag. The golf bag rain cover may comprise a water-resistant shell held in shape over the club opening of the golf bag by a plurality of self-tensioning rods, which may or may not be extensible. The shell assembly may be mounted onto the golf bag at the club opening thereof by two generally opposed mounting brackets, or one mounting bracket as well as an integral stowage element, may be provided integral with the golf bag. The invention may be provided as an improvement to a traditional golf bag. (Such traditional golf bags are generally cylindrically shaped and have a club opening at one end and are closed at the other.)

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1Ashows the golf bag rain cover10in the deployed and closed position as it is to be installed over the club opening11of a golf bag. In this position, the cover10will effectively keep the club heads, as well as the club grips, dry and ready for use by the golfer. For the purpose of these illustrations and this accompanying narrative, the reference frame used will be defined as follows: whether or not the golf bag is held at an angle, and regardless of the installation orientation of the cover thereon, the front of the golf bag will correspond to the front of the rain cover, i.e., the side towards which the bowed rods automatically fall (gravity action); and the rear of the golf bag will correspond to the rear of the rain cover, i.e., the side defining the closure panel. The water-resistant shell12is held in a bonnet-like shape and is supported by a plurality of self-tensioning, extensible rods14(shown in more detail in following figures) which are bowed over the club opening11, and the shell12can be opened as shown inFIG. 1Bto provide access to the clubs, by collapsing the rods14towards the rear of the golf bag. (Although the shell12may be initially provided in several panels, the panels may be sewn, fused, or otherwise fastened together to provide a one-piece shell12which surmounts the bowed rods.) Alternatively, the golfer does not have to collapse the cover10into the fully open position as shown inFIG. 1B, but can simply reach up under the closed shell12to retrieve the desired club while leaving the remaining clubs protected by the rain cover10. In the illustrative embodiment, a set of three extensible rods14is used with the shell12, each rod having a first end and a second end. The first ends are all held together in a set, and the second ends are all held together in a set. The first set of rod ends22is linked to a first mounting bracket20, and the second opposing set of rod ends24is linked to a second opposing mounting bracket21. The two mounting brackets will then be attached to opposing portions of the golf bag.

Although any number of rods, extensible or not, could be used to practice the invention, an optimal number here illustrated and discussed is three. (For instance, as alluded to in the alternate configuration here presented, two rods could be effectively used.)FIG. 2Ashows one (14a) of a set of three extensible rods14a,14b, and14c. In thisFIG. 2A, the rod14ais contracted to a maximum extent, the extent to which it will be contracted and shortened when the shell12is in the stowed position, e.g., for stowage in a storage sheath (e.g., a sheath separate from the golf bag or a stowage tube or other element integral with the golf bag). When contracted, the outer portions18aand18bof the rod14aslide onto the inner portion16, and when extended, the outer portions18aand18bslidably extend from the inner portion16.FIG. 2Bshows the same rod14aof the set of three extensible rods14a,14b, and14cin the extended and straight position; andFIG. 2Cshows the set of rods14a,14b, and14cin the extended and bowed position, as they will be bowed when the shell12is in the deployed, closed position ofFIG. 1A. The rod ends (ends of the outer portions) are positioned proximate each other and may be held within pockets28of the shell12. Likewise, the inner portions16of the rods14may be at least partially held within similar shell pockets or loops.

Although there will be two mounting brackets20and21linked to the ends of the rods14, and located on the golf bag at the club opening, for clarity and for illustration purposes, only one mounting bracket20is shown inFIG. 3. It is understood that the second, opposing mounting bracket21will be a mirrored complement to the first illustrated. It is also understood that although the mounting brackets20and21of the embodiment shown here are clips that can be easily installed and removed from the golf bag, any other type of suitable mounting bracket may be used, including a mounting bracket that is permanently mounted to the golf bag at the club opening11thereof. In the illustrative embodiment, the three rods14(14a,14b, and14c) are used with and support the shell12, the first set of rod ends22being linked to one mounting bracket20and the second opposing set of rod ends24being linked to a second opposing mounting bracket21. The mounting bracket20is designed to hold the first rod14ain a fixed relation; this rod14awhen extended and bowed into the deployed position will be oriented toward the rear of the golf bag club opening11and will retain its position whether the cover10is opened or closed. The second and third rods14band14care held in a pivoting relation to the first mounting bracket20and also to the first rod14a. All rods ends may be retained in pockets28of the shell12(or alternatively may be held together by a pivot pin or other device) and so will fall forward (gravity action) when the brackets20and21are installed allowing the shell12to completely deploy and cover the golf bag club opening11. Alternatively to the shell, the mounting bracket20itself may be designed to hold the second and third rods14band14cin such a pivoting relation; these rods14band14c, when extended and bowed into the deployed, closed position, will be oriented toward the front of the golf bag club opening11and will be capable of collapsing to be adjacent the first rod14ato provide club access.

The mounting brackets20and21may be removable from the golf bag as in the embodiment shown and/or be permanently fixed to the rod ends or to the shell12itself. Alternatively, the mounting brackets20and21may be fixed onto the golf bag proximate the club opening11, so that they will always be available for accepting the two sets of rod ends22and24, and thereby deploying the golf bag rain cover10. Alternatively, the mounting brackets20and21may be held by a strap which circumscribes the golf bag proximate the club opening11. If such a strap is used, then the strap may be removed in fair weather (e.g., for the summer season) and installed in harsher weather (e.g., for the fall, winter, or spring seasons). Regardless of the means of attaching the mounting brackets20and21to the golf bag, the linkage between bracket and rods may be such that at least one fixed rod14ais oriented toward the rear of the club opening11.

FIG. 4is a back view of the rain cover10and shows a detail of the rear shell closure30within the rear panel38(which may preferably be constructed of the same water-resistant material as the rest of the shell). This rear shell closure30may be accomplished with a zipper32as shown, or may be accomplished with a variety of other methods, e.g., hook-and-loop fasteners such as Velcro™, snaps, or overlapping flaps. (The rear panel38is typically defined by the shell12on all but the lower edge40. Alternatively, in the case of a surmounting shell held atop bowed rods, the rear panel38may simply depend from the shell.) The zipper32closes the rear panel38of the rain cover to a point proximate the lower edge40of the rear panel, defining an opening42to accommodate a golf bag handle or shoulder strap. It is optimal, though not requisite for the practice of the invention, that the zipper32descend far enough that the zipper tab34locate at or below the club opening11so that no rain can enter though the opening42onto the golf clubs. The lower edge40of the rear panel therefore locates proximate the club opening of the golf bag. An adjustable retention strap44attached to the rear panel38of the rain cover proximate the lower edge40fastens under such golf bag handle or shoulder strap to complete the circumscription of the opening42. Alternatively, the zipper tab34(or flap end, bottom snap, etc.) may be fastened to the golf bag for added retention and rain resistance (for instance on a windy day). Fastening the closure30, and fastening the retention strap44, zipper tab34, or snap, etc., not only assists in retaining the rain cover10to the golf bag and in eliminating space between the cover and the golf bag, but also adds an amount of tension to the rear panel38of the shell12, so as to maintain the bonnet-shape of the shell12as installed on the golf bag. When the closure30is unfastened, the tension will be released, and the rear panel38will be loose and capable of being stowed (i.e., the rods14will be allowed to straighten out from the deployed position (bowed) in order to contract into the straight, stowable position ofFIG. 2A).

The golf bag rain cover10is intended to be stowed in or proximate to (even adjacent) the golf bag, and in the stowed position, the inner portion16slides into and nests with the outer portions18aand18bin order to accommodate the difference in length between the stowed (straight and contracted) and in use (extended and bowed) configurations. (The contracted rods14can now be stowed in a storage sheath46, shown inFIG. 5A, along with the shell12to await future use.) In alternate embodiments, any other suitable method for contracting and extending the rod length could be designed, e.g., telescoping, folding, etc.

FIG. 5Bshows an alternate embodiment of a stowage element48, such as a tube, being fastened to or integrated with the side of the golf bag and the rain cover10being removably housed therein and deploying therefrom. The stowage element48may have an open end proximate or adjacent the club opening of the golf bag and a closed distal end spaced therefrom, and the stowage element48may be located on the interior or the exterior of the golf bag. In this embodiment, the entire rain cover, including at least one mounting bracket, may slide out of and be separated from the stowage element (and then mounted onto the club opening), or the rain cover may slide out of the proximate end of the stowage tube48, and then the proximate end of the stowage tube may itself function as one of the two mounting brackets (by engaging and retaining the first mounting bracket attached to the rain cover). The opposing mounting bracket may be linked to the opposed rod ends and removably attach onto the opposing side of the club opening11. Alternatively, the opposing mounting bracket may be permanently fixed to the appropriate location on the club opening11, and the rod ends would simply deploy from the storage tube48and link to said mounting bracket.

FIG. 6shows an alternate embodiment in which one of the extensible rods14(in this figure, the middle/second rod14b) may be collapsible and retained in closer proximity to an adjacent rod (in this figure, the rearward/first rod14a). In this way, the rain cover10may be partially collapsed to accommodate some pull cart configurations, some light rain situations, or other circumstances. One way to accommodate such retention may be to use strategically placed hook-and-loop fasteners50such as Velcro™. Any other suitable method may be used.

It is appreciated that various modifications to the inventive concepts described herein may be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the hereinafter appended claims.