APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY CLEANING AND DISPENSING GOLF BALLS

Abstract: Apparatus for automatically cleaning and dispensing golf balls (B), provided with a supply chute (1, 2, 3 and 7) which connects to a cleaning apparatus (15 to 17) and to a gravity operated sorting apparatus (11) which incorporates a dispensing apparatus (25) which feeds a predetermined number of golf balls to an outlet. According to the invention, the sorting apparatus comprises a downwardly sloping barred-grating (11) onto which the golf balls (B) fall from a supply-chute (1, 2, 3 and 7) and over which they roll in rows to the dispensing apparatus (25). In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the dispensing apparatus comprises a row of apart-lying cams (25) which can move upward to their operating positions between the rods (12) of the ball-grating (11) to lift a predetermined number of balls (B) from rows of balls lying on the rods (12) and allow them to fall into the outlet (23), whilst in their rest positions the cams remain free of the balls lying on the ball-grating (11).

Description: Apparatus for automatically cleaning and dispensing golf balls. The invention relates to apparatus according to the preamble to to claim 1. Apparatus of this type is known from DE-A-3425653. In the arrangement described therein, balls are transported to a washbasin one-by-one through a perforated tube, washed, and then lifted to a row of ducts arranged vertically side-by-side and from which they can be removed at the bottom in a predetermined number as required by an ejecting mechanism. The first objection to this apparatus is that the operating speed is limited because the tube can only transport one ball at a time. Secondly, the separate washbasin occupies a relatively large space. Thirdly, the upwardly and downwardly moving tube requires a driving system which can reject a damaged ball or alien objects such as stones, twigs, pine-cones and the like which come mainly with machine collected balls from which they cannot be sorted and which may clog the tube. Fourthly, washing in a perforated tube is not particularly efficient so that the balls fall insufficiently cleaned into the ducts which can gradually become fouled up so that these too become clogged. Fifthly, the ejecting mechanism does not operate faultlessly in combination with the integers causing the other objections so that the same number of balls are not dispensed each time. It is the object of the invention to remove these objection and to provide a compact , reliably operating apparatus whic constantly dispenses "the same predetermined number o well-cleaned golf balls and sorts out damaged balls or alie objects. According to the invention, this object is achieved by takin the measures in accordance with those constituting the characterising clause of claim 1. It is to be noted that the golf ball dispensing apparatus of EP-A-0.167 and CA-A-1.0379.916 and forming the preamble to claim 1 is known but in which The cleaning apparatus is lackin -vg however. This presents a great objection when balls are to be handled by the machine in an uncleaned condition, especially when they are fouled with clay or another easily adhering soil specie or when they have to be cleaned by a separate cleaning apparatus. In the apparatus according to P--A-D_.1£7 that of CA-A-1.0379.916. the balls move through completely or partially closed ducts and are supported in the centres on their undersides by a completely closed baseplate. As opposed to this arrangement, in the present invention the balls are supported on both sides off-centre on the bars of the grating. Through this arrangement, the adhering dirt is removed from the balls and can fall easily through the bars whilst the ball-lift can operate upward between the bars to lift the balls therefrom. .The invention is now to be described further with reference to the accompanying drawings of one embodiment of the invention. Fig.1 shows a part-sectioned side elevation of the apparatus according to the invention. Fig.2 shows a front elevation of the apparatus of fig.1. The drawings show an apparatus provided with a frame of tubular sections which is further provided with a housing formed by sheet material. This housing has a front wall 1, a rear wall 2 and sidewalls such as 3 (one of which is not visible), and a lid 4 which is hinged on a horizontally arranged hinge 5. The balls B to be cleaned and the thereafter to be dispensed number thereof can be discharged into the housing 1 to 5 in the direction indicated by the arrow 10 through the space vacated by the lid 3 when the latter is swung open in the direction indicated by the arrow 6. The balls B fall onto the ball-plate 7 which slopes downward to the right as shown in fig.1 and which, togther with the rest of the upper parts of the housing 1 to 3, forms a supply chute 8 with the the bottom outlet 9. The balls rolling down the ball-plate 7 fall through the outlet 9 whereafter they again fall onto the underlying leftwardly-sloping ball-grating generally indicated by the reference numeral 11. This ball-grating 11 is built up from a row of parallel-lying bars 12 which are arranged at equal pitch-distances S from one another and in such a manner that the balls roll run theralong in rows in the direction indicated by the arrow 13. With this arrangement, damaged balls and alien objects such as stones, twigs, pine-cones and the like which come therebetween mainly with machine collected balls, are sorted by the grating II and fall therethough into a dirt-collecting tray 14. The balls B then collect directly in front of an anticlockwise. otating cylindrical .cleaning-brush 15 which is preferably provided with sprayer-pipeline 16 for carrying a cleaning liquid, and then brushed clean. The dirty liquid flowing away is collected at the same time by a dirt-collecting tray 14. The sprayer pipeline 16 is affixed in position above the brush 16 to a transversely arranged scraper -bracket 17 the lower edge of which scrapes against the upper peripheral surface of the brush 15 and removes any strongly adhering dirt which may be clinging to the latter. The tipper edge • of the scraper-bracket T7 j-oins the underside of the Ball-plate 7 so that no ball is permitted to pass the brush in an uncleaned state to the discharge point. The cylindrical brush 15 has bristle-free sector 18 which is shown only in rest position in fig.1. and in which position it allows the cleaned balls to roll free thereunder. Dirty balls Of the"pile of balls':shown to the right of the brush 15 in fig. 1 are moved about with respect to one another by the movement of the brush 15 an distributed horizontally so that with sufficient quantities of dirty balls in front of the brush 15, the balls B are continuously fed to all the grating-bars 12 . Above the grating 11 and to the left of the brush 15, a coverplate 21 is arrangd to pivot vertically about the axis of a horizontal shaft 19 to which it is affixed and against the action of a spring 20. This coverplate 21 ends at some distance from the end of the grating 11 and allows the part therebetween to remain uncovered. The balls lying under this uncovered part and of which the row of balls leftward thereof rest against a stop 22 and then fall into the discharge chute 23 with the outl 24. On one hand, the coverplate 21 is destined to only perm a predetermined number of horizontal rows of balls to located above the ball-lifter. On the other hand, t spring-loaded coverplate 21 exerts a spring ' action to count seizure of the ball-lifter should the balls not come entire free from the coverplate and such as when a damaged ball alien object remains lying on the grating and has obstruct the regular flow of the balls lying thereon or when t dispensing apparatus is blocked for example or for othe reasons. The ball-lifter comprises a row of cams 25 arranged a lik distance or a pitch S apart and which can move between th rods 12 of the ball-grating 11 to lift the balls lying o the latter and so that they can fall into the discharge chut 23. Each of the cams 25 has a substantially flat uppe surface which, in the cam's highest operting positio assumes an angle which is just as great as that of the bar of ball-grating 11 and through which the leftward roll-off o the balls illustrated in fig.1 is assisted. The cams 25 ar each affixed to a rod 26 which, together with a cam-gratin generally indicated by the reference numeral 27, for parallel arranged bars which are arranged beneath th ball-grating 11 but above the dirt-collecting tray 14 an which allow dirt and liquid to fall therebetween. Th cam-grating 27 is hinged at it upper right-lying end t enable it to pivot around the axis of a horizontally arrange shaft 28 and is pivotably movable upward to an ejecting position and downward to a rest position the last of which is shown in full lines in fig 1. The cam-grating 27 is driven in its pivoting action by a crank mechanism 29 from the shaft 30 of the cylindrical brush 15 which is in turn driven by an electromotor 30. Preferably, the apparatus is started by the coin/token -operated mechanism 32 shown schematically in fig.1. and into which the user can insert a predetermined number of coins/tokens and after which the ball-lift is set into motion by the electromotor 31. The brush i5 is started at the same time but can also work separately without dispensing balls by the use of a declutchable coupling (not shown) and which is fitted beween the shaft 30 and the crank mechanism 29. The invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment but can also have many variations. For example, the ball-lift can also be driven in .an entirely different a.nxιex than by the crank mechanism, added to which the cams can be can be accomodated on a rotating camshaft or plain shaft.

Claims: Claims 1. Apparatus for automatically cleaning and dispensing gol balls and which is provided with a supply chute connected t a cleaning apparatus and a gravity operated sorting apparatu incorporating a dispensing apparatus which dispenses predetermined number of golf balls to an outlet, characterised in this that the sorting apparatus comprises a downwardly-sloping barred-grating (11) onto which the golf balls (B) fall from the supply chute (1,2,3,7) and over which they roll in rows to dispensing apparatus. 2, Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 characterised in this that a plate (21) is arranged above at least a part of the discharge section of the lower part of the ball-grating (11) and which together with the grating-bars 12 forms a number of channels and prevents the balls piling up thereon. 3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2 characterised in this that the dispensing apparatus comprises a row of apart-lying cams (25) which in their operating positions can move upward into spaces between the bars (12) of the ball-grating (11) and by means of which a predetermined number of the golf balls (B) lying in rows on the bars (12) can be lifted and allowed to fall into the outlet whilst in their rest positions the cams remain free of the balls lying on the ball-grating (11). 4. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 inclusive characterised in this that the cams (23) have a flat upper surface of which their angle-of-inclination in the extreme working position is at least equal to that of the bars of the ball-grating (11). 5. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 inclusive characterised in this that the cams (25) between the bars (12) of th ball-grating (11) move at the locations of the balls directly in front of stop element (22). 6. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 inclusive characterised in this that each of the cams (25) are affixed to a rod (26) and which together form a cam-grating (27) which pivots about the axis of a shaft (26) which is fixed underneath the ball-grating (11) and which said cam-grating L21 ) can pivot between a. rest osition .An which .the cams {25 ) remain free of the balls (B) lying on the discharge part of the ball-grating (11) and a working position in which the cams (25) are moved between the bars (12) of the ball-grating (11) from where they have pushed off a predetermined number of the lowermost balls therefrom. 7. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 inclusive characterised in this that the cam-grating (27) is connected to the driving- shaft (29) of a crank mechanism {30) which -can move the cam-grating (27) between the working position and the rest position. 8. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7 inclusi characterised in this that that the crank driving-mechani (29,30) iε fixed in a position above the ball-grating (27). 9. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8 inclusi characterised in this that that he crankshaft (30) of t crank mechanism rotates in a direction opposite to that the downward movement of the ball rotatable cylindrical-bru (15) and in which the balls (B) lying on the ball-grati (11) can be brought into contact with the brush for brushi off strongly adherent dirt clinging thereto. 10. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to inclusive characterised in this that the cylindrical-brus (15) has a bristle-free peripheral portion (18) under whic the balls on the ball-grating (11) can move to the discharg part. 11. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 1 inclusive characterised in this that the cylindrical-brus (15) is provided with liquid-supply pipeline (16) fo improving the cleaning process. 12. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 11 inclusive characterised in this that a dirt-collecting tra (14) is fitted beneath the ball-grating (11) and th cam-grating (27) and in which damaged balls and adheren dirt removed from the balls, alien objects and contaminate washing liquid and suchlike can be collected.

Inventors: MOONS WILHELMUS ANTONIUS, MOONS, WILHELMUS, ANTONIUS
Applicants: MOONS WILHELMUS ANTONIUS, MOONS, WILHELMUS, ANTONIUS
Application year: 1987
Main classification: A63B47
IPC codes: A63B47