Abstract:
An improved golf cart mainly comprises a pair of grips, a grip-supporting-rod, a fixing seat for grip supporting rod, an upper-fixing-member for golf bag, a collapsible frame, a pair of wheels and a set of wheel supporting means. The grip can receive a golf ball and a plurality of golf tees. The upper-fixing-member for holding a golf bag can receive a plurality of golf balls. The inclination of the grip-supporting-rod is adjustable. The central components of the collapsible frame are disposed in a hollow supporting rod both to prevent the user from being hurt and to increase the component&#39;s durability. The wheels and its supporting means are simplified as well as easy for operation.

Description:
This application is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/331,062, filed Mar. 28, 1989, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,598, which was a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/114,726, filed Oct. 30, 1987, now abandoned. The current application claims priority from application Ser. No. 07/114,726. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to a golf cart and more particularly to one which has improvements in many respects including the grip, the grip-supporting-rod and its fixing seat, the upper-fixing member for a golf bag, the collapsible cart frame and the fastening means of the wheels. 
     Conventional golf carts have the following disadvantages: 
     1. The known grip-supporting-rod for a golf cart is unadjustable so that the inclination of the grip-supporting-rod is fixed. However, since each golfer has his own height and arm length, the fixed inclination of the grip-supporting-rod is by no means practical for use. 
     2. The control components of the known collapsible frame for a golf cart usually are mounted to the external portion of the golf cart. However, such an arrangement may easily hurt the golfer when he intends to collapse the cart. In addition, the slidable elements, such as a sleeve and the like, are loosely mounted to the supporting rod to be able to slide therealong. However, such an arrangement makes the strength of the structure insufficient so that the elements thereof will be easily damaged. 
     3. The connection between the wheels and the supporting frame of a known golf cart is complicated so that its assembly and disassembly will be difficult. Furthermore, the space required for storing the collapsed golf cart is relatively large. 
     It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to obviate and mitigate the aforesaid drawbacks. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is the primary object of the present invention to provide an improved golf cart which comprises a pair of grips of which one end of each grip extends outward to form a flexible semi-spherical socket such that a golf ball can be received in the socket, and the side wall of the grip has a plurality of holes, each being designed to receive a golf tee. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved golf cart wherein a grip-supporting-rod is moveably joined with its fixing seat and one end of the fixing seat is mounted to a central supporting rod while the other end thereof is formed with a pair of parallel extensions symmetrical to each other, and each extension has a plurality of recesses at its upper edge such that the grip supporting rod can engage with or disengage from one of said recesses with the aid of a moveable member to alter the inclination of the grip supporting rod. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved golf cart which comprises a V-shaped upper-fixing-member for holding a golf bag in the front. The two opposite wings of said upper-fixing-member are designed to accommodate a plurality of golf balls therebetween. 
     It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an improved golf cart which comprises a collapsible frame of which the control components are disposed in a hollow supporting rod both to ensure the operating security and to improve the durability of the components. 
     It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an improved golf cart, wherein each wheel together with its axle are connected to the collapsible frame by a metal plate assembly such that a moveable element and a spring of said metal plate assembly can cooperate with a latch slot of the axle to engage the wheel with or disengage the same from the collapsible frame. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a golf cart in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a grip in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the combination between a grip-supporting-rod and its fixing seat; 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a moveable element construction being disposed in the grip-supporting-rod; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an upper-fixing-member for holding a golf bag in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a collapsible frame in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a slidable link mechanism being disposed in a lower central supporting rod; 
     FIG. 8 is a side view of the collapsible frame in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a wheel being connected to supporting rods of collapsible frame by a metal plate assembly in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 10 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view showing the wheel, the supporting rods and the metal plate assembly as shown in FIG. 9; 
     FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the connection between an axle and the metal plate assembly in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing the connection between the axle and the metal plate assembly in accordance with the present invention; and 
     FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view showing an extruded aluminum tube which can serve as the supporting rods of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to FIG. 1, a golf cart in accordance with the present invention mainly comprises a pair of grips (1) and (1&#39;), a grip-supporting-rod (2), a fixing seat (3) for the grip-supporting-rod, an upper-fixing-member (4) for holding a golf bag (now shown), a collapsible frame (10), a pair of wheels (61) and (62), and a metal plate assembly (63). 
     As shown in FIG. 2, the grip (1) comprises a U-shaped body (12) which extends downward to form an insert portion (11) by which the grip (1) can be mounted to the grip-supporting-rod (2) or to an upper central supporting rod (9). The grip (1) has at its upper portion a horizontal handle portion (121) which is formed at its lower side with a corrugated portion (122) to facilitate the gripping. One end of the handle portion (121) extends outward to form a semi-spherical seat (13), the interior of which seat is formed with a hollow chamber (131). The semi-spherical seat (13) has a plurality of recesses (133) which are designed to facilitate the picking up of a golf ball (B) from the hollow chamber (131). A further function of the recesses (133) is to have the semi-spherical seat (13) formed at its upper portion with elasticity and with a plurality of fingers (132). This function makes the semi-spherical seat (13) more flexible to be able to hold the golf balls with different diameters (which difference is about 1.5 mm). The U-shaped-body (12) is formed at its side with a plurality of holes (123) each being arranged to receive a golf tee (A). 
     Referring to FIG. 3, the fixing seat (3) for grip-supporting-rod is provided at one end with a sleeve (30) by which the fixing seat (3) can be disposed on the upper central supporting rod (9). The other end of the fixing seat (3) extends outward to form a pair of sectional portions symmetrical to each other. Each sectional portion has a plurality of recesses (31), (32) and (33) each being upwardly opened. The grip-supporting-rod (2) can detachably engage with one of the recesses (31), (32) and (33) via the aid of the moveable element (21) to adjust the inclination of said grip-supporting-rod(2). 
     As shown in FIG. 4, the mechanism for adjusting the inclination of the grip-supporting-rod (2) mainly comprises a moveable element (21), a latch pin (22), a spring (25), a screw (23) and a link (24). The moveable element (21) passes through the hollow grip-supporting-rod (2) with one end thereof projecting from said rod. The protruding end of the moveable element (21) is designed to move along a longitudinal slot (211) formed in the supporting rod (2). The latch pin (22) also passes through the hollow supporting rod (2) with both ends thereof projecting from the rod (2). The latch pin (22) cooperates with another longitudinal slot (223) to move therealong such that the latch pin (22), when moving downward, can engage with one of the recesses (31), (32) and (33) and when moving upward, can disengage from the recesses (as shown in FIG. 3). The central portion of the latch pin is formed with a pair of opposite projections (221) and (221&#39;). A pair of clamping sleeves (222) and (222&#39;) are located between each of the projections (221) and (221&#39;) and the inner wall of the handle supporting rod (2) to maintain the latch pin (22) in proper position when sliding up and down. The moveable element (21) is connected with the latch pin (22) by the link (24) while the latch-pin (22) is connected with the screw (23) by the spring (25). Therefore, the latch pin (22) can be moved upward when the moveable element (21) is actuated upward by the external force. As soon as the external force is removed, the latch pin (22) will return to its original position with the aid of the restoring force furnished by the spring (25). The longitudinal slots (211) and (223) of the grip-supporting-rod (2) are designed to limit the travel of the moveable element (21) and the latch pin (22) This may prevent the spring (25) from being over pulled. 
     Referring to FIG. 5, the upper-fixing-member (4) is generally V-shaped. The front edge (41) of the upper-fixing-member is arcuate to securely hold a golf bag from its upper end. Each wing of the upper-fixing-member (4) extends on the rear side so as to include a top plate and bottom plate and form a chamber therebetween. There is provided a pair of arcuate edges (44) and (45) symmetrical on each wing so as to narrow the opening of the chamber. The upper arcuate edge (44) of each wing further is provided with an arcuate recess (42) or (43) through which a golf ball (B) can be put into each said chamber. The intersection of said two wings has an aperture (46) by which the fixing member (4) can be mounted to the upper control supporting rod (9), as shown in FIG. 1. The side wall of the aperture (46) has a pin hole (47) for locating the fixing member (4). 
     Referring to FIGS. 6 to 8, the collapsible frame mainly comprises a short tube (8), a lower central supporting rod (5), a set of connection pieces (56) and (56&#39;), a connection seat (59), and a set of wheel supporting rods (57), (57&#39;), (58) and (58&#39;). The lower central supporting rod (5) has at its middle a sliding slot (51) (FIG. 6). The upper end of the central supporting rod (5) is furnished with a spring-loaded knob (52) which can protrude outside from either an upper positioning hole (53) or a lower positioning hole (53&#39;) or be pressed into the rod (5) where it is slidable along the inner wall of the rod. A pair of links (54) and (54&#39;) are disposed in the hollow central supporting rod (5) in such a manner that one end of each link is connected with the short tube (8) and the other end thereof is connected with a slidable element (55). The slidable element (55) has a positioning block (551) which can freely slide along the sliding slot (51). The positioning block (551) is joined with a joining piece (552) having a pair of inclined extensions (553) and (553&#39;) at both of its sides. One end of each of the connection pieces (56) and (56&#39;) is connected to each of said inclined extensions (553) and (553&#39;) of said joining piece (552). The other end of each of said connection pieces (56) and (56&#39;) is connected with one of the wheel supporting rods (57), (57&#39;), (58) and (58&#39;). The connection seat (59) is joined both with the lower central supporting rod (5) and with one end of each of said wheel supporting rods (57), (57&#39;), (58) and (58&#39;). 
     The extension of the aforesaid collapsible frame comprises the following procedures: Firstly, press the spring-loaded knob (52) into the lower central supporting rod (5) to initiate the upward movement of the short tube (8). Then, the links (54) and (54&#39;) along with the slidable element (55) in turn are moved upward. At this instant, the joining piece (552) together with the connection pieces (56) and (56&#39;) can be moved upward. The wheel supporting rods (57), (57&#39;), (58) and (58&#39;) can be extended outwardly as the connection pieces (56) and (56&#39;) are moved upward. Once the spring-loaded knob (52) protrudes from and engages with the upper positioning hole (53), the travel of the short tube (8) is terminated so that the wheel supporting rods (57), (57&#39;), (58) and (58&#39;) can be fixed to the predetermined position. The upper end of the short tube (8) is inserted into the upper central supporting rod (9). A sleeve (81) encases the intersections between the short tube (8) and each of the upper and lower supporting rods (5) and (9) in order to maintain the appearance. 
     In collapsing, firstly press the spring-loaded knob (52) into the upper central supporting rod (5). Then, the wheel supporting rods (57), (57&#39;), (58) and (58&#39;) can return to the original collapsed position when the spring loaded knob (52) travels to the lower positioning hole (53&#39;) and protrudes outside therefrom. 
     In view of the above, we can clearly see that the major components of the collapsible mechanism are disposed in the interior of the central supporting rod (5). Therefore, this built-in construction may increase the operating security and may improve the durability of components. The joining piece (552) of proper width slides stably within the sliding slot (51) of the lower central supporting rod (5) during the extension or collapse of the collapsible frame, thereby avoiding the unstable and loose operation of the conventional golf carts. 
     Referring to FIGS. 9 to 12, the fastening mechanism for joining the wheels (61) and (62) with the wheel supporting rods mainly comprises a metal plate assembly (63), wheels (61) and (62), a moveable element (64), a spring (65) and a pin (66). The metal plate assembly (63) is U-shaped and has a pair of vertical plates. Each vertical plate is formed with an inclined extension having an axial hole (631) and a pivotal hole (632). The upper edge of the inner inclined extension has a shallow recess (633). The axle (621) of the wheel (62) is formed with a pair of slots (6211) and (6212) and said axle (621) is arranged to pass through an axle sleeve (622) of the wheel (62). The moveable element (64) is provided at one end with a flap (645). The lower portion of the flap (645) has a recess (644). The middle of the moveable element (64) has a latch (642) and a projection (643) and the lower portion thereof has a pivotal hole (641). The pin (66) has a step-like shaft having two different diameters. 
     In assembly, as shown in FIG. 9, firstly, insert the axle (621) of the wheel (62) through the axial holes (631) and (631&#39;) of the metal plate assembly (63). Then, insert the pin (66) through the spring (65), the pivotal hole (641) of the moveable element (64) and the pivotal hole (632) of the metal plate assembly (63) with one end of the spring (65) being leaned on the projection (643) of the moveable element (64). The latch member (6211) of the axle (621) to secure the wheel (62) to the metal plate assembly (63). The above mentioned recess (644) of the moveable element receives the edge of the shallow recess (633). By the means of engagement between the latch member (642) and latch slot (6211), the wheel can be fastened with the metal plate assembly (63). As shown in FIG. 12, the axle (621) may have another latch slot (6212) to receive a ring member (623) such that the metal plate assembly (63) can further be fixed to its position. 
     As shown in FIG. 11, the latch member (642) can be disengaged from the latch slot (6211) of the axle (621) when the moveable element (64) is forced leftward. Then, the wheel (62) can be separated from the metal plate assembly (63). When released, the moveable element (64) will return to its original position by the restoring force provided by the spring (65). The length of the shallow recess (633) is designed to limit the travel of the moveable element (64) in order to prevent the spring (65) from being over compressed. In view of the aforesaid construction, we can see that the wheel can be engaged with or disengaged from the metal plate assembly by the adjustment of the moveable element (64). Thus, such an arrangement can simplify the construction and thus reduce the cost. In addition, the length of the axle of the wheel is within the scope of the width of the wheel. Therefore, these may both minimize the volume when packaging for transportation. 
     As shown in FIG. 13, an extruded aluminum tube (7) having elliptic cross section can preferably serve as the supporting rods of the instant golf cart.