Abstract:
A Golf Green Reader is disclosed. The device is available in two versions—one that is elongated, is sized similar to the length of a golf umbrella and allows the user to site the putt line while standing, and a second version that is handheld. The device includes optics to provide the user with the ability to site along a laser-pointer line and focus, zoom and obtain a wide-angle view of the cup from the ball location. The device further overlays an image that aids the user in holding the device in a level position while siting along the putt line. The image overlay includes symbology that indicates current spacial orientation of the device, the desired spacial device orientation and the direction to correct the device orientation.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    This invention relates generally to games and sporting equipment and, more specifically, to a Golf Green Reader. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0004]    Golf is one of the most popular sport in the world today. Of the different shots or skills used in golf, the “short game,” or putting is probably the hardest to master. In addition to the need to develop the skills necessary to strike the ball straight and with the correct force, there are many additional variables related to the putting green itself that add substantially difficulty to the putting game. 
         [0005]    Putting greens, being natural surfaces, have one or more slope, each of which can change over the extent of the ball&#39;s desired path to the cup. Also, the grass on the green will have a “grain” to it (the direction of its growth) that also adds complexity. Finally, changing lighting conditions and glare from the sun can also make a successful putting experience more difficult. 
         [0006]    Other devices have been developed that seek to address or ease these difficulties with the putting game. Logsden, U.S. Pat. No. 4,839,968 seeks to aid the golfer with his or her putting game, but it does not provide a plumb line, laser level, magnification, zoom lens, glare reduction, wide angle lens, or enable the user to sight the cup while standing up. Winslow, U.S. Pat. No. 6,146,285 also provides a putter alignment device, but also does not allow the golfer to sight the cup from a standing position, nor does it give a good indication of horizontal and vertical. Similarly, Nelson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,953,034; Dar, U.S. Pat. No. 5,672,117; Jones, U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,403; Cates, U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,813; Burch, U.S. Pat. No. 6,129,641 and Smith, U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,535 all fail to provide vertical and horizontal plumb lines, fail to allow the golfer to sight the cup from a standing position, do not provide filtration or accentuation of the incident light to improve visibility, nor give the ability to zoom in on the cup. 
         [0007]    What is needed is a device that provides the golfer with each of these benefits, as will be discussed more fully below in connection with the Detailed Description of the Invention. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    In light of the aforementioned problems associated with the prior devices and equipment, it is an object of the present invention to provide a Golf Green Reader. The device should be available in two versions—one that is elongated, is sized similar to the length of a golf umbrella and allows the user to site the putt line while standing, and a second version that is handheld. The device should have optics to provide the user with the ability to site along a laser-pointer line and focus, zoom and obtain a wide-angle view of the cup from the ball location. The device should further overlay an image that aids the user in holding the device in a level position while siting along the putt line. The image overlay should include symbology that indicates current spacial orientation of the device, the desired spacial device orientation and the direction to correct the device orientation. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    The objects and features of the present invention, which are believed to be novel, are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, of which: 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the device of the present invention as it might be used on a conventional golf green; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the viewing assembly of the device of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the tubular member of the device of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the inlet assembly of the device of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a cutaway side view of the device of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the overall structure of the device of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  depicts the sighting image provided to the user by the device of  FIGS. 1 and 5 ; and 
           [0017]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a handheld version of the device of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0018]    The following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Various modifications, however, will remain readily apparent to those skilled in the art, since the generic principles of the present invention have been defined herein specifically to provide a Golf Green Reader. 
         [0019]    The purpose of the Green Reader is to save strokes by being able to better read the characteristics of a putting green. The device provides a number of characteristics that aide the golfer in arriving at the line that the putt will take from its lie to the cup. 
         [0020]    The present invention can best be understood by initial consideration of  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the device  10  of the present invention as it might be used on a conventional golf green  18 . The green reader device  10  has three main parts; the viewing assembly  12  where the golfer looks to sight on the cup  20 , the tubular member  14  for transmitting and conditioning the image, and the inlet assembly  16  that gives the golfer a low-level view of the cup, nearly at the surface of the grass. 
         [0021]    In addition to other features that will be discussed below, the device  10  provides the user with a laser line  22 . When activated by the golfer, the laser light creates an image that can be seen through the green reader&#39;s lenses. This gives the golfer assistance in aiming the device to the specific point on the green towards which the ball will be hit (i.e. if there is a break to the green, the ball will not be hit on a line directly towards the cup, but rather will be hit in the direction of where the ball is expected to break or begin its curve towards the cup). If we now turn to  FIG. 2 , we can begin to examine the device  10  in more detail. 
         [0022]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the viewing assembly  12  of the device of  FIG. 1 . The viewing assembly  12  has a housing  24  defined by a lower mouth  26  at its bottom end, and an eye cup  28  at its opposing end. The lower mouth  26  is designed to interface with the tubular member that is more fully discussed below in connection with  FIG. 3 , and pass the light traveling along the light path  38  to the view window  30 . The eye cup  28  is a soft rubberized cone that blocks out incident light while the user is peering into the view window  30 . It is through the view window  30  that the golfer sights the putt being aligned. 
         [0023]    A focus ring  32  is provided to enable the user to focus the image being viewed through the view window  30 . The focus ring  30  may provide mechanical focusing of the lenses located within the viewing assembly  12 , or it may alternatively adjust lenses located in the tubular member (as is more fully discussed below). 
         [0024]    On either side of the housing (in this embodiment), buttons are provided. The zoom button  34  activates a power-actuated wide angle/zoom lens. Wide angle and zoom lenses are provided by the device in order to permit the golfer to read the grain of the grass from the ball&#39;s lie to the cup. By zooming in to the cup itself, the golfer can determine the location of the wear edge on the cup. The wear edge being one side or another of the cup that has tended to be the location that most of the balls have dropped into the cup; this gives the golfer a hint as to the direction of the break adjacent to the cup. 
         [0025]    The other side of the housing  24  has a laser button  36 . The user can activate and deactivate the previously-described laser pointer/aiming line by depressing or releasing the laser button  36 .  FIG. 3  provides additional detail regarding the next major component of the green reader. 
         [0026]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the tubular member  14  of the device of  FIG. 1 . The tubular member  14  transmits the incident light coming from the inlet assembly (see  FIG. 4 ) along the light path  38  and to the viewing assembly  12 . The tubular member has an elongate, tubular housing  40  defined by an upper end  42  and a lower end  44 . The central view bore  46  transmits the image along the light path and may contain lenses and other components important to create the imaging features discussed herein. 
         [0027]    A level image generator  48  is contained within a protrusion located on one side of the housing  40 . As will be discussed more fully below, the level image generator  48  generates an image that is superimposed on the view of the cup seen obtained by the inlet assembly (see  FIG. 4 ). The superimposed image indicates to the user whether or not the device is being held in an upright position. An access cap  50  is provided to give the user access to the components within the level image generator  48 , such as to clean or replace any of the items.  FIG. 4  presents the portion of the device that obtains the image of the cup. 
         [0028]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the inlet assembly  16  of the device of  FIG. 1 . The inlet assembly  16  is associated with a housing  52  that has an upper mouth  54  for interfacing with the tubular member of  FIG. 3 . A stabilizing pin  58  extends downwardly from a closed bottom face  56  of the housing  52 . The stabilizing pin  58  is preferably shaped similar to a conventional golf tee, and terminates in a pointed tip  60 . The pin  58  is pushed into the grass of the green when the device is being used; the pin  58  will then prevent the bottom end of the device from accidentally moving during the sighting process. It is preferred that the pin  58  is constructed from durable, corrosion-resistant material, such as stainless or other type of steel. 
         [0029]    The housing  52  has an inlet aperture  62  formed in its side. The aperture  62  has an inlet filter  64 , which is a plastic lens for improving the quality of the incident light. An amber lens may be provided as the filter  64  to bring out the detail of the green grass of the green and also to block the glare from the sun. 
         [0030]    The laser sighting line discussed above is provided by a laser light  66  located such that it projects outwardly in front of the inlet aperture  62 , so that it creates a laser line or dot that the user can see through the device. Now turning to  FIG. 5 , we can examine the internal components of the green reader. 
         [0031]      FIG. 5  is a cutaway side view of the device  10  of  FIG. 1 . The device  10  provides the image transformation of a periscope, meaning that it changes the direction of the incoming light so that the user can see in a direction parallel to the ground while his or her eye is directed perpendicular (i.e. down) to that direction. This change in direction is performed by reflection at mirror  68  contained within the inlet assembly  16 . The light path then passes through a beam splitter  76 , which is located adjacent to the level image generator  48 , within the tubular member  14 . The beam splitter takes the image (of the level condition of the device  10 ) and superimposes it atop the image coming from the inlet assembly  16 . 
         [0032]    The level image generator  48  has a light source such as the LED light  70  shown. The light generated from this light source passes through a bubble level  72  to create an image of the status of the device&#39;s level condition. In another embodiment, a digital level indicator could be provided that will give the use an image as displayed in  FIG. 7 . The level image is reflected by mirror  74  to the beam splitter  76 . The beam splitter  76  allows the inlet assembly image  16  to pass through it, but will redirect the image coming from the level generator so that it exits the beam splitter  76  parallel to the image from the inlet assembly  16 . These two images (superimposed) are viewable by the golfer through the view window  30 , which is a clear lens located within the viewing assembly  12 . 
         [0033]    In certain versions of the present invention, additional image adjustment will be desired. In such cases, other focusing lenses would be located in the focus lens region  78 . The operation of these lenses could be mechanically connected to the focusing ring (see  FIG. 2 ), or by electrical operation. This functionality includes the zoom functionality described above. The entire structure of this device is depicted in  FIG. 6 . 
         [0034]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the overall structure of the device  10  of  FIG. 1 . The outer surface of the tubular member  14  may have an upper clip  79 A extending therefrom near the top of the device  10 , and a lower clip  79 B extending from the bottom of the tubular member  14 . These clips  79 A,  79 B are located to cooperate with the buckles/loops on a traditional golf bag. In this way, the device  10  can be clipped to the golf bag so that it is readily accessible. Alternatively, the device  10  can be fit into the bag along with the user&#39;s clubs, essentially in any location that the umbrella can be carried. 
         [0035]    In its most desirable form, the length (height) of the device  77  is approximately thirty-six and one-half (36.5) inches tall. It has been determined that this provides a very suitable viewing posture for the golfer when the golfer is sighting through the device to the cup and pin (see  FIG. 1 ).  FIG. 7  depicts the image that the device presents to the user. 
         [0036]      FIG. 7  depicts the sighting image  80  provided to the user by the device of  FIGS. 1 and 5 . A vertical plumb line  84  is provided to give the golfer assistance in determining the slope of the green&#39;s surface. Also, when aligned with the pin, the golfer will be able to tell whether the pin and cup are sloped, and if so, how much. The horizontal line  82 , and its intersection with the vertical sight line gives the golfer additional assistance with estimating the slope and break towards the cup. 
         [0037]    An LCD or DLP see-through imaging device may be provided to give the user real-time leveling advice. In the example depicted here, the device is out of level to the left. Because the device is not level, first and second level indicators  87 A and  87 B appear as shown to show which way the device is out of level. Also, first and second leveling arrows  86 A and  86 B prompt the user as to what direction the device must be tilted in order to achieve a level condition. Other symbology may be used to aid the user in achieving a level condition; those depicted here are only exemplary. 
         [0038]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a handheld version  10 A of the device of the present invention. Because of its small profile, and its intent to be held horizontally against the user&#39;s eye, this embodiment  10 A does not bend the incident light image as does the original version  10 . As can be seen, however, virtually every other feature of the aforementioned version (including the level indication) is provided here. Rather than providing lens adjustment via a focusing ring, focusing and zooming is provided via an automated lens adjustment mechanism  89 . The mechanism  89  here is provided by a series of gears and motors; other versions could be included. The mechanism  89  is controlled disposed on a switch block  91 ; in this view, the control buttons protrude from the back-side of the housing  88 . An ergonomic hand grip may also be provided on the top of the device  10 A. 
         [0039]    Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications of the just-described preferred embodiment can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.