Abstract:
The present invention provides a golf club head cover which provides conventional protection to golf clubs and in addition provides a heating function for a hitting surface of the golf club in order to keep the temperature within a optimized range for hitting. The golf club head cover has a main housing having an opening side for inserting a top portion of the golf club and a heating side for disposing a temperature controlling device for heating. The temperature controlling device has a power source, a circuit board, and a heating plate which couples with the hitting surface of the top portion of the golf club to apply heat to control the temperature.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a golf club, and more particularly to a golf club head cover for a golf club comprising a temperature controlling device adapted to maintain the temperature of the golf club at a certain desired temperature within the golf club head cover. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Arts 
         [0004]    Golfing is an extremely popular sport nowadays. The golf clubs and other equipments are expensive, thus cares and maintenances are required while using and storing these equipments. The golf clubs are inserted into the golf club head covers for protection while not in used or when they are stored at home or inside a car. The hitting surface of the head of the golf clubs is very critical for performance, thus the golf clubs are inserted into the golf club head cover for protection. During a regular golf games, players are required to travel along the golf courses for approximately 4 to 5 hours and the golf clubs are stored safely. Conventional golf club head covers come in many shapes and sizes and provide sufficient protections for different golf clubs. 
         [0005]    It is a proven fact that the temperature of the hitting surface of the golf club provides extra driving distance for the drive. This result is obvious when using the driver for hitting long distance drive. The best result is to keep the hitting surface of the driver within a temperature range of 43° C. to 55° C. While conventional golf club head covers provide physical protections for the golf clubs, they do not provide any heating function for the hitting surface of the golf club especially in a cold environment. 
       SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
       [0006]    A main object of the present invention is to provide a golf club head cover for a golf club which comprises a temperature controlling device for maintaining the golf club head at a predetermined temperature so as to allow the golf club to achieve the best performance for a hitting a golf ball. 
         [0007]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a golf club head cover for a golf club comprising a temperature controlling device for heating up a hitting surface of the golf club at an elevated temperature, wherein the golf club head cover is readily portable so that the user is able to maintain the golf club at the optimal elevated temperature in a wide variety of circumstances. In other words, the present invention is capable of promoting widespread applications. 
         [0008]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a golf club head cover for a golf club which has a simple electrical structure for providing a heat source to control the temperature so that the golf club is in its best condition for hitting a golf ball. 
         [0009]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a golf club head cover for a golf club which does not involve complicated mechanical structure so as to minimize the manufacture cost of the present invention. 
         [0010]    Accordingly, in order to accomplish the above objects, the present invention provides a golf club head cover for a golf club comprising a golf club head having a hitting surface for hitting a golf ball, comprising: 
         [0011]    a main housing having a cavity and a heating pocket provided within the cavity, wherein the golf club head is adapted to be fittedly disposed within the cavity to align the hitting surface with the heating pocket; and 
         [0012]    a temperature controlling device, which comprises: 
         [0013]    a heating plate disposed within the heating pocket to substantially align with the hitting surface of the golf club head; and 
         [0014]    a power source supported by the golf club head cover to electrically connect with the heating plate, wherein when the power source is activated, the heating plate is arranged to be heated up by the power source, wherein heat generated by the heating plate is transferred to the hitting surface of the golf club head through the heating pocket so as to heat up and maintain the hitting surface to an elevated temperature for achieving an optimal performance when the hitting surface hits a golf ball. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the golf club head cover according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of a golf club head cover according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the temperature controlling device according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  is another schematic diagram of the golf club head cover according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0019]      FIG. 5  is a circuit diagram of the golf club head cover according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0020]      FIG. 6  is a top view of the golf club head cover according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0021]      FIG. 7  is a side view of the golf club head cover according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0022]      FIG. 8  is an exploded perspective view of the golf club head cover according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0023]      FIG. 9  is a first alternative mode of the golf club head cover according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0024]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a second alternative mode of the golf club head cover according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0025]      FIG. 11  a schematic diagram of a second alternative mode of the golf club head cover according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0026]    Referring to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 8  of the drawings, a golf club head cover  10  for a golf club  50  comprising a golf club head having a hitting surface  51  for hitting a golf ball according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated, in which the golf club head cover  10  comprises a main housing  20  and a temperature controlling device  30 . 
         [0027]    The main housing  20  has a cavity  21  and a heating pocket  24  provided within the cavity  21 , wherein the golf club head is adapted to be fittedly disposed within the cavity  21  to align the hitting surface  51  with the heating pocket  24 . 
         [0028]    The temperature controlling device  30  comprises a heating device which comprises heating plate  33  disposed within the heating pocket  24  to substantially align with the hitting surface  51  of the golf club head, and a power source  31  supported by the golf club head cover  10  to electrically connect with the heating plate  33 , wherein when the power source  31  is activated, the heating plate  33  is arranged to be heated up by the power source  31 , wherein the heat generated by the heating plate  33  is transferred to the hitting surface  51  of the golf club head through the heating pocket  24  so as to heat up and maintain the hitting surface  51  to an predetermined elevated temperature for achieving an optimal performance when the hitting surface  51  hits a golf ball. 
         [0029]    According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the main housing  20 , having a top portion  26  and a bottom portion  27  defining the receiving cavity  21  therewithin, is made of soft padding materials surrounding an outside of the main housing  20  which creates the cavity  21  for inserting an object (such as the golf club  50 ) which requires heating or cooling. As shown in  FIG. 4  of the drawings, a top portion of a golf club  50  is inserted into the cavity  21  of the golf club head cover  10  for providing protection. The main housing  20  further has a heating side  22  and an opening side  23 . As shown in  FIG. 3  of the drawings, when the golf club  50  is inserted into the cavity  21  of the golf club head cover  10 , a hitting surface  51  of the golf club  50  aligns with the heating side  22  of the main housing  20  of the golf club head cover  10 . 
         [0030]    The heating pocket  24  is disposed in the receiving cavity  21  of the main housing  20 , and comprises a pocket holder  241  attached to an inner surface of the receiving cavity  21  at a position aligning with the hitting surface  51  to define a heating cavity  211  for holding the hitting plate  33 , and a pocket opening  212  communicating the heating cavity  211  and the receiving cavity  21 . It is worth mentioning that the pocket opening  212  may be selectively sealed for blocking unwanted physical access to the heating cavity  211  from the receiving cavity  21 . As shown in  FIG. 6  to  FIG. 7  of the drawings, the pocket holder  241  comprises a flexible fabric preferably having a plurality ventilating holes  2411  formed thereon for thermally communicating the heating cavity  24  with the receiving cavity  21 . 
         [0031]    The temperature controlling device  30  further comprises a circuit board  32  for controlling an operation for heating plate  33  as powered by the power source  31 . More specifically, the power source  31 , the circuit board  32 , and the heating plate  33  are all electrically connected with respective to each other as shown in  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 5  of the drawings. The power source  31  of the temperature controlling device  30  comprises a plurality of batteries  312  providing electrical power for operating the heating plate  33  for a period of four to five hours. The power source  30  could also be connected to any external power source for providing the electrical power. 
         [0032]    The circuit board  32  comprises a power circuitry  321  to provide a controlled electrical signal for the heating plate  33  so that it can be activated for heating the hitting surface  51  of the golf club head. The circuit board  32  further comprises a temperature detecting device  322  for detecting a current temperature of the hitting surface  51  of the golf club  50  such that the power circuitry  321  is capable of determining if the hitting surface  51  requires heating or not for promptly and accurately responding to a temperature deficiency of the hitting surface  51  (i.e. the deficiency between the current temperature and the elevated temperature). A best temperature range for the hitting surface  51  of the golf club  50  is 43° C. to 55° C. So for example, when the temperature detecting device  322  of the circuit board  32  detects that the temperature of the hitting surface  51  is 25° C. (room temperature), the power circuitry  321  of the circuit board  32  will activate the heating plate  33  to heat up the hitting surface  51  of the golf club  50 . According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it takes approximately 14 minutes for the initial heating to reach 55° C. from 25° C. (room temperature). As mentioned above, the heating plate  33  is disposed firmly inside the heating pocket  24  within the main housing  20 . Moreover, the temperature controlling device  30  further comprises a control switch  35  supported by the main housing  20  to electrically connect with the circuit board  32  for selectively activating the heating plate  33  in a controlled manner. Thus, a user is able to turn on or off the heating plate  33  by switching the control switch  35 . Note that the position of the control switch  35  can vary depending on the circumstances in which the present invention is used and manufactured. For example, the control switch  35  can be provided directly on the circuit board  32 , or it can be electrically extended to provide on the main housing  20  out of the receiving cavity  21 . Similarly, the control switch  35  can also be extended from the circuit board  32  to be received within the receiving cavity  21  for better protection of the control switch  35 . Note that the temperature detecting device  322  can be a conventional temperature sensor, such as a thermistor, for detecting the temperature of the hitting surface  51 . 
         [0033]    The power source  31  comprises a battery holder for holding a replaceable battery  312  in position, and a terminal  313  extended from the battery holder to the heating device for electrically connecting the replaceable battery  312  with the heating device when the replaceable battery  312  is held at the battery holder. 
         [0034]    According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the power source  31  comprises a battery rack  311 , having a plurality of battery terminals, supported within the receiving cavity  21  to electrically connect with the circuit board  32  and the heating plate  33 , and a plurality of the replaceable batteries  312  replaceably installed at the battery rack  311  for providing electricity to the circuit board  32  and the heating plate  33 . It is worth mentioning that the batteries  312  can be embodied as regular dry cells, or rechargeable batteries which are capable of supplying electrical power to heat up the heating plate  33  as controlled by the circuit board  32 . As shown in  FIGS. 1-8  of the drawings, the battery rack  311  is received within the receiving cavity  21  and is spacedly apart from the heat plate  33  so that a size of the heating pocket  24  can be minimized to facilitate accurate alignment with the hitting surface  51  when the golf club  50  or at least the golf club head is contained within the receiving cavity. 
         [0035]    Moreover, the temperature controlling device  30  further comprises a heating indicator  34  provided on the battery rack  311  of the power source  31  for indicating a heating status of the hitting surface  51 . For example, when the power source  31  is heating up the hitting surface  51  (i.e. the temperature of the heating plate  33  is increasing), a predetermined color is indicated on the heating indicator  34  for informing the user that the temperature controlling device  30  has been activated and is heating up the hitting surface  51  through the heating plate  33 . According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the heating indicator  34  is embodied as a LED adapted to generate illumination to indicator a heating status of the heating plate  33 . Furthermore, the heating plate  33  comprises a silicon or silver heat transfer panel  331  wherein heat is transferred to the hitting surface  51  through the silicon or silver heat transfer panel  331 . 
         [0036]    As shown in  FIG. 1  of the drawings, the opening side  23  of the main housing  10  further comprises a zipper  230  for opening and closing the cavity  21  for inserting the object that requires heating. According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the zipper  230  is opened, it enlarges the cavity  21  such that the golf club  50  can be easily inserted inside the golf club head cover  10 . After the insertion, the zipper  230  is closed thus allowing the golf club head cover  10  to completely surround and protect the top portion of the golf club  50 . The soft padding materials of the main housing  10  prevent the top portion of the golf club  50  to be damaged from physical impacts. 
         [0037]    According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention as shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2  of the drawings, the outside of the main housing  10  further comprises a battery pocket  70  to contain the batteries of the power source  31  and the circuit board  32  therewithin. The battery pocket  70  further comprises a zipper  71  to open and close the battery pocket  70  for inserting the power source  31  and the circuit board  32 . 
         [0038]    Referring to  FIG. 9  of the drawings, a first alternative mode of the golf club head cover  10 ′ according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. The first alternative mode is similar to the preferred embodiment except that the golf club head cover of the present invention is used in conjunction with a golf bag  90 ′. According to the alternative mode, a golf bag  90  comprises a power source pocket  25 ′ provided on an outer surface thereon wherein the battery rack  311 ′ of the power source  31 ′ and the control switch  35  are extended from the receiving cavity to dispose in the power source pocket  25 ′, so that a user is able conveniently replace the batteries  312  and control the operation of the heating plate  33  without accessing the receiving cavity  21 . Moreover, a size of the receiving cavity  21  can also be minimized because the battery rack  311 ′ and the batteries  312  are no longer disposed within the receiving cavity  21 . Finally, it is worth mentioning that control switch  35  may be provided at any position of the golf bag  90  so that the present invention can be used in a wide range of situations and for different kinds of users. The experimental results of the golf club head cover for various working conditions and time are shown as follows, where time is period over which the heating plate is heated with a predetermined current, HPT stands for temperature of the heat plate  33 , and GT stands for temperature of the gold club head. 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 Time (min) 
                 HPT (° C.) 
                 GT (° C.) 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 0:02 
                 37 
                 18 
               
               
                 0:04 
                 40 
                 20 
               
               
                 0:06 
                 42 
                 21 
               
               
                 0:08 
                 44 
                 23 
               
               
                 0:10 
                 45 
                 24 
               
               
                 0:12 
                 46 
                 25 
               
               
                 0:14 
                 47 
                 26 
               
               
                 0:16 
                 49 
                 27 
               
               
                 0:18 
                 49 
                 28 
               
               
                 0:20 
                 50 
                 29 
               
               
                 0:22 
                 51 
                 30 
               
               
                 0:24 
                 52 
                 31 
               
               
                 0:26 
                 53 
                 32 
               
               
                 0:28 
                 53 
                 32 
               
               
                 0:30 
                 54 
                 33 
               
               
                 0:32 
                 54 
                 34 
               
               
                 0:34 
                 55 
                 35 
               
               
                 0:36 
                 56 
                 35 
               
               
                 0:38 
                 56 
                 36 
               
               
                 0:40 
                 57 
                 36 
               
               
                 0:42 
                 57 
                 37 
               
               
                 0:44 
                 58 
                 38 
               
               
                 0:46 
                 59 
                 38 
               
               
                 0:48 
                 60 
                 39 
               
               
                 0:50 
                 60 
                 39 
               
               
                 0:52 
                 60 
                 40 
               
               
                 0:54 
                 60 
                 40 
               
               
                 0:56 
                 61 
                 41 
               
               
                 0:58 
                 61 
                 41 
               
               
                 1:00 
                 61 
                 42 
               
               
                 1:02 
                 61 
                 42 
               
               
                 1:04 
                 62 
                 42 
               
               
                 1:06 
                 62 
                 43 
               
               
                 1:08 
                 62 
                 43 
               
               
                 1:10 
                 62 
                 44 
               
               
                 1:12 
                 63 
                 44 
               
               
                 1:14 
                 63 
                 44 
               
               
                 1:16 
                 63 
                 45 
               
               
                 1:18 
                 64 
                 45 
               
               
                 1:20 
                 64 
                 45 
               
               
                 1:22 
                 64 
                 46 
               
               
                 1:24 
                 64 
                 46 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Time (min) 
                 HPT (38° C.) 
                 GT (° C.) 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 1:26 
                 64 
                 46 
               
               
                 1:28 
                 65 
                 46 
               
               
                 1:30 
                 65 
                 47 
               
               
                 1:32 
                 65 
                 47 
               
               
                 1:34 
                 65 
                 47 
               
               
                 1:36 
                 65 
                 47 
               
               
                 1:38 
                 66 
                 48 
               
               
                 1:40 
                 66 
                 48 
               
               
                 1:42 
                 66 
                 48 
               
               
                 1:44 
                 66 
                 48 
               
               
                 1:46 
                 66 
                 48 
               
               
                 1:48 
                 66 
                 49 
               
               
                 1:50 
                 66 
                 49 
               
               
                 1:52 
                 66 
                 49 
               
               
                 1:54 
                 67 
                 49 
               
               
                 1:56 
                 67 
                 49 
               
               
                 1:58 
                 67 
                 49 
               
               
                 2:00 
                 67 
                 49 
               
               
                 2:02 
                 67 
                 50 
               
               
                 2:04 
                 67 
                 50 
               
               
                 2:06 
                 67 
                 50 
               
               
                 2:08 
                 68 
                 50 
               
               
                 2:10 
                 68 
                 50 
               
               
                 2:12 
                 69 
                 50 
               
               
                 2:14 
                 69 
                 50 
               
               
                 2:16 
                 69 
                 50 
               
               
                 2:18 
                 69 
                 50 
               
               
                 2:20 
                 69 
                 50 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Time (min) 
                 HPT (4466° C.) 
                 GT (° C.) 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 2:22 
                 69 
                 50 
               
               
                 2:24 
                 69 
                 50 
               
               
                 2:26 
                 69 
                 50 
               
               
                 2:28 
                 69 
                 50 
               
               
                 2:30 
                 69 
                 50 
               
               
                 2:32 
                 69 
                 50 
               
               
                 2:34 
                 69 
                 50 
               
               
                 2:36 
                 69 
                 50 
               
               
                 2:38 
                 69 
                 50 
               
               
                 2:40 
                 70 
                 50 
               
               
                 2:42 
                 70 
                 50 
               
               
                 2:44 
                 70 
                 50 
               
               
                 2:46 
                 70 
                 50 
               
               
                 2:48 
                 70 
                 50 
               
               
                 2:50 
                 70 
                 50 
               
               
                 2:52 
                 70 
                 50 
               
               
                 2:54 
                 70 
                 50 
               
               
                 2:56 
                 70 
                 50 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0039]    Table 2 illustrates the heating of the golf club head with high temperature, where time is period over which the heating plate is heated with a predetermined current, HPT stands for temperature of the heat plate  33 , and GT stands for temperature of the gold club head. 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 2 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Time (min) 
                 HPT (° C.) 
                 GT (° C.) 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 0:02 
                 78 
                 29 
               
               
                 0:04 
                 78 
                 36 
               
               
                 0:06 
                 88 
                 42 
               
               
                 0:08 
                 88 
                 46 
               
               
                 0:10 
                 89 
                 51 
               
               
                 0:12 
                 90 
                 54 
               
               
                 0:14 
                 91 
                 56 
               
               
                 0:16 
                 92 
                 58 
               
               
                 0:18 
                 93 
                 60 
               
               
                 0:20 
                 94 
                 62 
               
               
                 0:22 
                 95 
                 64 
               
               
                 0:24 
                 96 
                 66 
               
               
                 0:26 
                 97 
                 67 
               
               
                 0:28 
                 98 
                 69 
               
               
                 0:30 
                 100 
                 70 
               
               
                 0:32 
                 100 
                 72 
               
               
                 0:34 
                 101 
                 73 
               
               
                 0:36 
                 102 
                 74 
               
               
                 0:38 
                 104 
                 75 
               
               
                 0:40 
                 104 
                 76 
               
               
                 0:42 
                 105 
                 77 
               
               
                 0.44 
                 106 
                 78 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0040]    Referring to  FIG. 10  to  FIG. 11  of the drawings, a second alternative mode of the gold club head cover according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. The second alternative mode is similar to the preferred embodiment except that the golf club head cover can also be embodied for containing and gently heating golf balls  80 ″. More specifically, the receiving cavity  21 ″ of the main housing  20 ″ is adapted to receive a predetermined number of golf balls  80 ″, wherein the temperature controlling device  30 ″ is disposed within the receiving cavity  21 ″ for heating the golf balls  80 ″. Thus, the heating plate  33 ″ and the power source  31 ″ are disposed at a lower portion of the receiving cavity  21 ″ while the predetermined number of golf balls  80 ″ is disposed in the receiving cavity  21 ″ to thermally communicate with the heating plate  33 ″. When the power source  31 ″ is activated, the heating plate  33 ″ is arranged to be heated up by the power source  31 ″, wherein the heat generated by the heating plate  33 ″ is transferred to the golf ball  80 ″ through the heating pocket  24 ″ so as to heat up and maintain the golf ball  80 ″ at an predetermined elevated temperature for achieving an optimal performance when the golf ball  80 ″ is being hit. 
         [0041]    One skilled in the art will understand that the embodiment of the present invention as shown in the drawings and described above is exemplary only and not intended to be limiting. 
         [0042]    It will thus be seen that the objects of the present invention have been fully and effectively accomplished. It embodiments have been shown and described for the purposes of illustrating the functional and structural principles of the present invention and is subject to change without departure from such principles. Therefore, this invention includes all modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the following claims.