Portable cleaning device for golf clubs

A device for cleaning golf-club heads comprises a receptacle for containing cleaning solution open at its upper end for receiving a golf-club head to be cleaned, and at least one brush mounted within the receptacle for engagement with the club head. An extension of a base portion projects outwardly of the device a sufficient distance to receive at least a portion of a user's foot thereon to stabilize the cleaning device when supported in an upright position on a horizontal surface. A handle may be formed on the base portion extension for conveniently lifting and transporting or for storing and draining the cleaning device. A cap may be provided for closing the upper end of the receptacle to prevent loss of cleaning liquid during transportation and handling of the cleaning device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to golfing accessories, and more particularly to a 
portable device for cleaning the heads of golf clubs. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
During play, the head of a golf club, and particularly its face and sole, 
tend to accumulate soil, sand, grass, stains of various kinds, and 
sometimes, especially if the ball is poorly struck, streaks of the paint 
which coats the ball or tee. If allowed to remain, such extraneous matter 
renders the club unsightly at best and less effective at worst, as 
described hereinbelow. In some circles it is considered a breach of golf 
etiquette to begin a round with stained or dirty clubs. 
The face of almost every modern golf iron, moreover, is formed with a 
series of parallel grooves oriented generally horizontally when the club 
is held in the address position. These grooves are intended to afford the 
golfer greater control over his shot by applying a backspin on the ball as 
it is struck by the iron and propelled through the air to its intended 
destination. The backspin tends to arrest the forward motion of the ball 
after it has landed. The faces of most golf woods are provided with 
grooves as well, though they may be shallower than those formed in irons. 
In any case, the grooves in the club head play a significant role in 
establishing the degree of accuracy with which the game may be played. 
Though a golfer may carry as part of his equipment a towel or a hand-held 
brush for cleaning the club head after each shot, moist or dry earth, 
sand, grass, and other debris may become firmly lodged in the grooves and 
not readily displaced. In any case, when the grooves become filled and are 
allowed to remain filled, the golf ball will not acquire the desired 
backspin when struck, and may roll well beyond the spot targeted by the 
golfer. 
Many golf-club cleaning expedients have heretofore been proposed to 
overcome the problem of dirty club heads. A number of them have in common 
the provision of a golf-club cleaning device formed with a receptacle for 
holding cleaning fluid and opposed brushes. An early example is disclosed 
in U.S. Pat. No. 2,744,276, issued May 8, 1956 to E. F. Chambless. The 
golf-club head is simply inserted into the receptacle and scrubbed between 
the brushes until clean. 
Some of these prior club cleaning devices are intended to be placed at 
various locations on the golf course, where they may be staked to the 
ground or bolted to benches, upright standards, or other immovable 
objects, as disclosed variously in U.S. Pat. No. 4,069,536, issued Jan. 
24, 1978 to R. E. Hartz et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,380,839, issued Apr. 26, 
1983 to C. Caradonna; U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,358, issued Apr. 18, 1989 to C. 
R. Wyckoff et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,081,735, issued Jan. 21, 1992 to W. 
B. Wyatt et al. 
Other club cleaning devices are so constructed that they may be secured to 
the motorized golf carts now available at nearly all golf courses, public 
and private. Examples may be found in the aforesaid patents to Wyckoff et 
al. and Wyatt et al., as well as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,063, issued Jul. 
31, 1990 to J. Jordan; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,965,906, issued Oct. 30, 1990 
to E. Mauro. 
A portable golf-club cleaning device; that is, a cleaning device that may 
be carried by an individual is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,610, 
issued Apr. 11, 1995 to D. F. Coyer, Sr. et al. This comprises a 
bucket-type receptacle provided with a cap which is apertured to permit 
golf-club heads to pass through it. Brushes and cleaning solution are 
disposed in the receptacle for scrubbing the club heads. However, the 
cleaning device of Coyer, Sr. et al. is inherently unstable when supported 
in an upright position on a horizontal surface, since the receptacle is 
inversely frusto-conical in form. Moreover, there is no provision for 
stabilizing the receptacle during either transportation or the procedure 
of cleaning the club heads. 
The club cleaning device of the aforesaid patent to Caradonna is also said 
to be adaptable for use as "a portable, free standing model with its own 
cast iron stand." However, particulars of such a stand are neither 
described nor illustrated in Caradonna. In any case, because the vertical 
dimension of Caradonna's cleaning device is shown to be substantially 
greater than its horizontal dimension, it may be presumed that the stand 
must be a heavy and broad one indeed to impart stability during the 
cleaning procedure. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,734,952, issued Apr. 5, 1988 to J. J. Parchment et al. 
discloses a golf-club head cleaning device comprising a receptacle that 
may be mounted to a structure such as a golf cart by way of mechanical 
fasteners or "used simply by placing it on the ground, holding it securely 
between the golfer's feet" during cleaning. 
Like those of the aforesaid patents to Coyer, Sr. et al. and Parchment et 
al., many prior art golf-club cleaning devices are provided with 
bucket-like receptacles that generally decrease in cross-sectional area 
from top to bottom. Not only are such configurations inherently unstable, 
but when water or other cleaning liquid is added, the center of gravity is 
elevated, resulting in even greater receptacle instability, especially 
when subjected to the vigorous scrubbing motion of the cleaning procedure. 
Other prior art golf-club cleaning devices, such as that of Caradonna, 
comprise receptacles that are cylindrical in configuration or are 
otherwise formed with a constant cross-sectional area from top to bottom, 
but these receptacles, too, may topple over easily unless they are 
securely fastened to a support structure or surface. 
It will be recognized from the foregoing review of prior art that there has 
been a need, first of all, for a truly portable golf-club head cleaning 
device, one which is easily lifted and carried by a single golfer, so that 
it may be carried in the golfer's personal vehicle to the place of play, 
there to be used for cleaning his or her clubs when the round has been 
played, or which, alternatively, may be kept in the garage, basement or 
utility room of the golfer's home for use when he or she returns from 
playing a round of golf, or at any convenient time for that matter, and 
secondly, for such a portable golf-club head cleaning device which may be 
made securely stable when supported in an upright position on a horizontal 
surface, regardless of the vigor with which the golfer uses it to clean 
the club heads. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention, on the other hand, provides a device for cleaning 
golf-club heads which not only comprises a receptacle open at its upper 
end thereof for receiving a golf-club head to be cleaned, and at least one 
brush mounted within the receptacle for engagement with the club head, the 
receptacle having a sidewall and a base portion, but is also provided with 
an extension of the base portion which projects outwardly of the device a 
sufficient distance to receive at least a portion of a user's foot thereon 
to stabilize the cleaning device when supported in an upright position on 
a horizontal surface. 
Moreover, in a preferred embodiment a handle is formed on the base portion 
extension for conveniently lifting and transporting the cleaning device. 
The handle also serves as a convenient site for hanging the device for 
storage or complete draining of cleaning solution. 
A cap may be provided for closing the upper end of the receptacle to 
prevent loss of cleaning liquid during transportation and handling of the 
cleaning device, the cap in a preferred embodiment being hingedly attached 
to the receptacle for pivotal movement between open and closed positions. 
An anti-slip tread may be disposed on an upper surface of the extension to 
prevent slippage of a user's foot placed thereon. Similarly, an anti-slip 
surface may be provided at the bottom of the device to prevent it from 
slipping during use.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a golf-club head cleaning device 10 comprises 
principally a container or receptacle 12. An upper portion 13 of 
receptacle 12 is formed with an upper surface 14, while a base portion 16 
includes a bottom surface 17. A sidewall 18 comprising four panels extends 
between upper surface 14 and bottom surface 16. Sidewall 18 defines with 
the upper and bottom surfaces a chamber 20 open at its upper end to 
receive and contain a cleaning liquid therein (not shown), such as water, 
soap dissolved in water, or any other suitable solvent or cleaning 
solution. 
As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4, the sidewall panels may be concave 
outwardly. Alternatively, they may be substantially planar, as shown in 
FIG. 5, which also shows them to be inclined inwardly. An extension 22 of 
the base portion extends outwardly from a front one of the sidewall panels 
and includes upper and lower surfaces 24, 26 interconnected by a front 
wall 28. Lower surface 26 is preferably an extension of and continuous 
with bottom surface 17. Extension 22 extends outwardly a sufficient 
distance to permit at least a portion of a user's foot to be placed 
thereon for stabilizing the receptacle during club head cleaning. 
Front wall 28 of extension 22 may take any one of a number of 
configurations. For example, it may be substantially planar as shown in 
FIGS. 1 and 2, or it may be convex outwardly as shown at 28a in FIG. 4, or 
it may be planar but curved at both ends to merge smoothly into sidewall 
18 as shown at 28b in FIG. 5. 
The intersection of sidewall 18 and lower surface 17 defines a base 
periphery and the intersection of sidewall 18 and upper surface 14 defines 
an upper periphery. Preferably, the base periphery encloses an area 
greater than that enclosed by the upper periphery, thereby to enhance the 
stability of the club cleaning device when supported in an upright 
position on a horizontal surface. Stability is even further enhanced by 
the fact that the base periphery also includes the intersection of front 
wall 28 with bottom surface 26 of extension 22 and the intersection of the 
lateral ones of sidewalls 18 with bottom surface 26, thereby enclosing a 
much greater area than that enclosed by the upper periphery. 
Upper surface 24, bottom surface 26, front wall 28, and sidewall 18 form an 
interior hollow portion which comprises an extension 23 of chamber 20. 
Chamber extension 23 may be lined with supporting ribs (not shown) for 
resisting pressure from a user's foot when placed on upper surface 24. 
Receptacle 12 is preferably formed by blow molding, injection molding or 
rotary casting to form a continuous fluid-tight chamber 20. When cleaning 
liquid is added to chamber 20 it will, of course, be received in chamber 
extension 23 as well, thus resulting in a lower center of gravity for the 
liquid than would have been realized for the same volume of liquid if 
chamber extension 23 had not been provided, whereby the stability of the 
cleaning device is enhanced still further. 
An anti-slip tread 30 is attached to upper surface 24 of extension 22 and 
preferably wrapped around front wall 28 to extend to bottom surfaces 26 
and 17. The provision of a single anti-slip tread in this manner serves 
the dual purpose of resisting slippage between a user's foot and the 
receptacle and slippage between the receptacle and the supporting surface. 
Alternatively, an anti-slip tread 30a may be integrally formed on the upper 
extension surface 24 as shown in FIG. 4, during molding for example, or it 
may be mechanically or chemically attached by well-known techniques after 
molding. Such an integral tread may extend continuously by way of front 
wall 28 to bottom surface 17 or it may be provided separately on upper 
surface 24 and bottom surfaces 26, 17. 
As shown in FIG. 1, anti-slip tread 30 includes a plurality of spaced 
parallel ribs 32. The ribs preferably extend throughout the length of the 
tread as a continuous tread pattern. Alternatively, the tread may have a 
variety of patterns extending throughout its length, depending on the 
different natures of the surfaces to be engaged with the tread. For 
example, a length of the tread associated with upper surface 24 may 
include ribs especially adapted for securely engaging the sole of a golf 
shoe, while a second length of the tread associated with bottom surface 26 
may include spikes, suction cups, or other protrusions for secure 
engagement with soft ground, hard surfaces, etc. Anti-slip tread 30, 30a 
may extend over a substantial portion of the upper surface as shown in 
FIGS. 1 and 4. As a further alternative, a tread 30b formed either 
separately or integrally with the upper surface may extend over only a 
portion thereof as shown in FIG. 5. 
A cap 34 is adapted to mate with upper surface 14 of receptacle 12 to 
sealingly close chamber 20. The cap includes side panels 36 thereof that 
are formed to be flush with the panels of sidewall 18 when the cap is 
mounted on the receptacle. A cap upper panel 38 is formed integrally with 
side panels 36 and is preferably devoid of any apertures in order to 
sealingly enclose chamber 20. A hinge 35 retains cap 34 on receptacle 12 
and permits the cap to be rotated between open and closed positions in 
use. 
Alternatively, cap 34 may include depending flanges (not shown) for 
frictionally engaging sidewalls 18 in a fluid-tight fit. In any event, cap 
34 is preferably injection molded. Upper panel 38 may, if so desired, be 
made strong enough to support a user's weight when sitting or standing 
thereon, in order to permit the cleaning device to be used as a seat or 
stepping platform. 
A recess 39 extends from receptacle upper surface 14 into one of sidewalls 
18 for facilitating the removal of cap 34. Although only one recess 39 is 
shown, a second recess on an opposing sidewall may be provided for lifting 
the cap evenly when the cap is friction fit within the opening. FIGS. 4 
and 5 show alternative recesses 39a, 39b which extend across only a 
portion of wall 18 and may be circular in shape as shown at 39a, or 
rectangular as shown at 39b. A latch may be associated with receptacle 12 
and cap 34 to lock the cap against opening when the cleaning device is not 
in use for cleaning golf-club heads. 
As shown in FIG. 3, chamber 20 is fitted with a brush assembly 40, which 
preferably includes a pair of opposed brushes 42 mounted within chamber 
20. More particularly, each brush 42 includes a backing member 44 anchored 
between a stop 43 and a flange 45 of one of sidewalls 18. Opposing flanges 
45 orient the brushes at an acute angle with respect to each other for 
permitting a wide range of golf-club heads to be inserted therebetween for 
cleaning. Alternatively, backing member 44 of each brush may be formed 
with a configuration suitable for disposing the brushes in a similar 
manner without the use of flanges 45. 
A plurality of long bristles 46 and short bristles 48 are generally 
uniformly disposed along the inwardly facing surface of backing members 
44. With this arrangement, the bristles from the oppositely facing brushes 
42 are positioned to scrub mud, dirt, grass, and other debris from a head 
50 of an iron-type golf club 52 inserted therebetween, and yet are not so 
closely proximate or rigid as to prevent the larger wood-type golf-club 
heads from being received therebetween for cleaning. 
A shield or gasket 54 is positioned in receptacle 12 above brushes 42 and 
below cap 34 in contact with the inside surfaces of sidewalls 18. A pair 
of inwardly projecting flanges 55 extend around the receptacle periphery 
to sandwich gasket 54 therebetween, where it is held by frictional fit, 
adhesives, or other well-known means of attachment. The gasket may be 
formed of any suitable flexible material, and includes a plurality of 
interconnected slits 56 which form a plurality of movable gasket flaps 58. 
The gasket flaps are arranged to permit a golf-club head to pass through 
the gasket while acting to prevent cleaning solution within the receptacle 
from splashing or spraying outwardly of the receptacle during golf-club 
head cleaning. 
The cleaning device of the invention may be assembled by first inserting 
brushes 42 into receptacle 12 and positioning them against stops 43 and 
flanges 45 so that bristles 46 and 48 face each other at an angle. Gasket 
54 is then positioned between flanges 55. A cleaning fluid is subsequently 
poured into the receptacle to at least partially fill chamber 20 and 
chamber extension 23. Cap 34 is then closed to prevent loss of fluid 
during transport or handling of the device. 
In operation, a user first places the receptacle on a horizontal surface in 
its upright position and opens it by grasping the side panel 36 of cap 34 
adjacent to recess 39 and rotating the cap about hinge 35. Before or after 
rotating the cap to its open position, the user places one foot on upper 
surface 24 of extension 22 to securely stabilize the receptacle in the 
upright position. A golf-club head is then inserted through slits 56 in 
gasket 54 and vigorously moved up and down within the interior of the 
chamber between the brushes to dislodge the mud, dirt, grass or other 
debris appended to the golf-club head surfaces. 
Turning now to FIGS. 6 and 7, a golf-club head cleaning device 100 includes 
a receptacle 112 having an upper portion 113 and a base portion 116. Upper 
portion 113 includes a generally horizontally extending upper surface 114, 
while base portion 116 includes an upper surface 119 and a bottom surface 
117. A plurality of rubber feet 102 depend from bottom surface 117 to 
prevent slippage of the cleaning device during transportation or use. A 
continuously curved outer sidewall 118 is integral with and extends 
between upper surface 119 of base portion 116 and upper surface 114 of 
upper portion 113. An inner sidewall 121 is integral with and extends 
between upper surface 114 and a lower surface (not shown) to define an 
open chamber 120 for holding fluid therein, such as cleaning fluid (not 
shown). 
The upper surface 119 and bottom surface 117 of base portion 116 are 
integrally connected with a lower sidewall 128 that extends around the 
periphery of the base portion. An extension 122 forms part of the base 
portion 116 and projects outwardly from sidewall 118 and includes upper 
surface 119, lower surface 117, and lower sidewall 128. Extension 122 
projects outwardly a sufficient distance to permit at least a portion of a 
user's foot to be placed thereon for stabilizing the receptacle during 
club head cleaning. 
An opening or aperture 130 has a width sufficient to receive the hand of a 
user and extends through extension 122 of the base portion to define with 
the distal end thereof a carrying handle 132 that can be grasped by a user 
to facilitate transporting cleaning device 100. The aperture may also 
receive a hook, a peg or the like (not shown) to hang the device for 
storage or complete draining of the cleaning solution. Lower sidewall 128 
defines a base periphery and the intersection of sidewall 118 and upper 
surface 114 defines an upper periphery. Here, too, the base periphery 
preferably encloses an area greater than the area enclosed by the upper 
periphery to impart a large measure of stability to the cleaning device. 
As in the embodiments of FIGS. 1 to 4, a chamber extension formed by a 
hollow interior portion (not shown) of extension 122 may be lined with 
supporting ribs (also not shown) for resisting pressure from a user's foot 
when placed on upper surface 119. Receptacle 112 is also preferably formed 
by blow molding, injection molding or rotary casting to form a continuous 
fluid-tight chamber. 
A gasket 154 similar to gasket 54 is positioned in receptacle 112 above a 
pair of brushes (not shown) disposed in the chamber and is in contact with 
inner sidewall 121. This gasket, too, may be attached to inner sidewall 
121 through frictional fit, adhesives, or other well known means of 
attachment. The gasket includes a plurality of interconnected slits 156 
which form a plurality of movable gasket flaps 158 for receiving a 
golf-club head while acting to prevent cleaning solution within the 
receptacle from splashing or spraying out during golf-club head cleaning. 
It will be recognized that any number of ancillary features may be provided 
in or on the cleaning device of the invention. Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, 
for example, a socket (not shown) might extend downwardly from upper 
surface 114 adjacent to the chamber formed by receptacle 112 to contain an 
elongated handled brush (not shown) with the bristles of the latter 
lowermost and in contact with cleaning solution (when provided) contained 
in the chamber. Such a brush might be tethered to the cleaning device to 
prevent inadvertent loss. 
A towel (not shown) might also be removably fastened to the cleaning device 
by any suitable means. For example, it might be carried by any one of 
several well-known fastening rings (not shown) attached to a rod (also not 
shown) mounted on the receptacle in an upright position. Such a rod might 
be of telescoping construction for adjustment of the towel to a convenient 
height above the receptacle during the cleaning process. 
While the invention has been described in connection with certain specific 
embodiments thereof, it will be understood that this is by way of 
illustration and not of limitation, and that the scope of the appended 
claims should be construed as broadly as the prior art will permit.