Method and apparatus for stacking golf balls

A method and apparatus for stacking golf balls in an aesthetically pleasing manner includes the use of a invertible form having a cavity therein. By placing golf balls within the cavity, the form may be inverted and the balls therein allowed to assume a stacked configuration atop a supporting base, which can be maintained after the form is lifted upwardly and away from the stack/base combination.

TECHNICAL FIELD 
The present invention relates in general to golfing, and particularly 
relates to a method and apparatus for stacking golf balls in an 
aesthetically pleasing manner such that said golf balls may be selectively 
removed from a pyramidic golf ball stack without significantly disrupting 
the stack. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to golf balls, and particularly relates to a 
method and apparatus for grouping and stacking golf balls in an 
aesthetically pleasing manner to facilitate their selective removal 
therefrom. 
In the field of golfing, it is often desirable to provide one or more 
stacks of golf balls in order to allow the golf balls to be selectively 
removed from the stack. For example, at golf driving ranges, it is often 
desired to provide a group of such golf balls at each booth, in order to 
allow a golfer practicing his or her swing to repeatedly pick a golf ball 
from the group of balls, place the ball on a tee, and hit it. 
It is presently known to group such golf balls by use of a wire or other 
suitable basket, with the balls simply being placed in a relatively 
unorganized manner within the basket, and either dumped or manually 
removed one-by-one therefrom. 
It is also known to arrange such golf balls in groups by hand-stacking them 
into "pyramids", with a person manually stacking golf balls upon a 
suitable base and stacking additional golf balls level-by-level upon the 
previously-positioned level of golf balls. Although such a pyramid 
presentation of golf balls, it can become somewhat time-consuming to 
achieve due to its labor-intensive nature. 
Therefore, it may be seen that there is a need in the art to provide a 
method and apparatus for quickly and easily stacking golf balls in an 
aesthetically pleasing manner, which allows for such stacking without 
excessive labor use. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention overcomes deficiencies in the prior art by providing 
a method and apparatus for stacking golf balls in an aesthetically 
pleasing manner, which is cost and labor-efficient to use and operate. 
Generally described, the present invention relates to a method of placing a 
plurality of golf balls within an inverted form, placing an inverted base 
atop said inverted form, inverting the entire assembly such that the 
plurality of golf balls is stacked upon the now-upright base, and 
withdrawing the now-upright form such that a pyramidic stack of golf balls 
is left remaining atop the base. The present invention also relates to an 
apparatus for facilitating the above method. 
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and 
apparatus for stacking golf balls in an aesthetically pleasing manner. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method and 
apparatus for stacking golf balls which is simple in operation. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method and 
apparatus for stacking golf balls which is cost-effective to manufacture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Reference is first generally made to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, in which like 
numerals designate like elements throughout the illustrated views. 
FIG. 1 illustrates the cooperation of an invertible forming member 10, a 
stack of golf balls 20, and a supporting base member 30. As will be 
discussed in further detail, golf balls placed within the invertible 
forming member 10 can be inverted along with the forming member such that 
they rest upon the supporting base 30. Preferably, the balls remain in the 
stacked group 20 shown in FIG. 1 even after the forming member 10 is then 
withdrawn upwardly and is no longer in contact with the group 20 of golf 
balls. 
As shown in FIG. 1, the base 30 includes a planar member 31 having a 
peripheral edge 32 attached thereto configured to provide lateral 
peripheral support to the lowermost level of golf balls. 
Referring now to FIG. 2, it may be seen that the forming member 10 includes 
four side wall sections 11, which are fastened together by corner brackets 
(not shown) such as known in the art. The side wall sections 11 may be of 
plywood or other suitable material. A wooden handle member 13 is rigidly 
attached relative to the side walls by wood support posts 14. As shown in 
FIG. 2, a group of golf balls such as 22 are shown within forming member 
10 while in its "forming" orientation. In this orientation, the forming 
member 10 has an upwardly-directed forming cavity which is configured to 
accept the plurality of golf balls 22 and to encourage the golf balls into 
the stacked group 20 shown in FIG. 2. Such a stacked group 20 is the same 
as the golf ball grouping shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, except that instead of 
the peak of the pyramidic grouping being pointed upwardly as shown in 
FIGS. 1 and 3, the peak is pointed downward in the orientation shown in 
FIG. 2. 
A stacking method according to the present invention is now described. The 
forming member 10 is oriented as shown in FIG. 2, with its ball-receiving 
cavity being directed generally upwardly. The forming member 10 may be 
maintained in a relatively stable state by placing the outward flat face 
of the handle member 13 in planar contact with a substantially horizontal 
supporting surface (not shown). A plurality of golf balls 22 are then 
placed within the upwardly-disposed cavity, such that they are situated 
within the forming member 20 such as shown in FIG. 2. 
It should be understood that when the golf balls are being placed within 
the forming member 20, it may be necessary for the human operator to guide 
balls somewhat towards their desired locations. However, it will be 
understood that the forming member 20 provides the final determination as 
to the shape of the golf ball group. 
After the golf balls 22 are situated acceptably, the human operator then 
places a base (such as 30 in FIG. 1) atop the golf ball group, such that 
the golf ball group is substantially enclosed by the forming member base 
combination. The forming member 20, balls 22, and base 30 are then 
inverted together as a group. 
Upon such an inversion, a base of golf balls then is in contact with the 
lower base 30, with the outermost golf balls of the base (or "first") 
layer of balls also being laterally contained by the upwardly-projecting 
peripheral edge member 32. Upon withdrawal of the forming member 10, a 
pyramidically-shaped golf ball stack such as shown in FIG. 3 is provided 
(atop the base 30) for selective removal as needed. 
Alternatives 
It may be understood that although FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 illustrate a 
four-sided forming member configuration, other configurations may also be 
provided under the present invention. For example, three-sided, 
five-sided, or other multiple-sided form members may be provided under the 
present invention, provided they facilitate a suitably stable stacked 
configuration upon inversion. In each case, the number of golf balls at 
the apex is one and the number at the adjacent level is equal to the 
number of sides. 
In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the uppermost level of balls in 
the stacked configuration is one in number. The second level is four in 
number (2.times.2). The third level includes nine golf balls (3.times.3). 
The fourth level includes 16 golf balls (4.times.4), and the fifth level 
is 25 (5.times.5) in number. However, it should be understood that 
additional levels may be included, with a preferred embodiment including 
several levels, with the lowermost level having 49 (7.times.7) balls 
therein. 
Therefore, the number of golf balls at any given level with the invertible 
forming member 10 may be computed as the square of the count of levels 
from the apex, which is the first level having a single golf ball. Thus, 
the first level has 1.sup.2 or 1 golf ball; the second level thus 2.sup.2 
or 4 golf balls, etc. 
In addition, the invertible forming member may be dome-shaped, such as 
hemispherical 10B such as shown in FIG. 5, in which case there would be a 
singe dome-shaped side. The stack of golf balls will then take on a 
dome-shape instead of geometric shapes with planar sides. In all cases, 
the outward facing configuration of the inverted form does not necessarily 
determine the shape of the stack of golf balls--the inward facing 
configuration is responsible. 
In all embodiments, the interior facing side(s) converge(s) toward the 
bottom from the open top. The bottom is closed to prevent the passage of 
golf balls therethrough. The side(s) and base should be constructed to 
prevent the passage of the golf balls therethrough, whether being of a 
solid, closed construction or with apertures each dimensioned smaller than 
the size of a golf ball. In addition, the invertible stacking form 10 and 
the base 30 in any of the embodiments may be of any sturdy material, such 
as wood, plastic, metal, ceramic or any combination. Their construction 
should be of sufficient strength and durability to prevent the golf balls 
from falling out while the group as a unit is being inverted. 
Although the forming member 20 embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is preferably 
made mostly of wood with metal fasteners, other suitable materials such as 
plastic, fiberglass, metal or ceramic may also be used without departing 
from the spirit of the scope of the present invention. 
Conclusion 
While this invention has been described in specific detail with reference 
to the disclosed embodiments, it will be understood that many variations 
and modifications may be effected within the spirit and scope of the 
invention as described in the appended claims.