Abstract:
A device comprises a top portion defining a space adapted to accommodate a finger of a user, and a bottom portion configured to securely fasten to the top portion and sandwich a towel therebetween, the bottom portion including a bottom surface having a plurality of bristles.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    The present patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/886,773, filed on Oct. 4, 2013. 
     
    
     FIELD 
       [0002]    The present disclosure generally relates to an accessory used in the sport of golf, and more particularly to a golf thumb brush tool that may be used to clean golf implements, including golf club, golf balls, golf shoes, and the like. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0003]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a golf thumb brush tool attached to a towel; 
           [0004]      FIG. 2  is a top view of an exemplary embodiment of a golf thumb brush tool adapted to be attached to a towel; 
           [0005]      FIG. 3  is a bottom view of an exemplary embodiment of a golf thumb brush tool adapted to be attached to a towel; 
           [0006]      FIGS. 4A and 4B  are a side views of an exemplary embodiment of a golf thumb brush tool adapted to be attached to a towel; and 
           [0007]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a golf thumb brush tool adapted to be attached to a towel. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0008]    Referring to the drawing figures,  FIGS. 1-5 , various views show an exemplary embodiment of a golf thumb brush tool  10  that may be attached to a towel  12 , or another type of fabric or flexible material. The golf thumb brush tool  10  generally comprises a top portion  14  and a bottom portion  16  that may be attached to a towel  12  by sandwiching the towel between the two portions. Golfers that play the sport regularly generally have one or two favorite towels fastened to their golf bags that they use to wipe off dirt and debris from their golf implements. The golf thumb brush tool  10  is designed to fastened to a corner of a towel for ease and convenience of use. 
         [0009]    The golf thumb brush tool  10  may have a generally oval shape, as shown in the figures, but other configurations such as rectangular, circular, triangular, square, etc. are also contemplated. The top portion  14  of the golf thumb brush tool  10  includes a thumb grip  18  with a cover or thumb guard  20  at least partially covering a thumb pad  22  that may have a textured surface  24  to enable a secure grip by an inserted thumb. The textured surface  24  may be constructed of rubberized materials or a grooved pattern, etc. A pointed cleaning tool  26 , preferably constructed out of metal, plastic, or another suitable stiff material, is disposed at and protruding from the front end of the top portion  18  of the golf thumb brush tool  10 . The pointed cleaning tool  26  is primarily designed for cleaning grooved surfaces, such as a club face, or shoe bottom sole, for example. 
         [0010]    A ball marker  28  is further detachably fastened or fitted in a recess formed on top of the thumb guard  20 . The ball marker  28  may be imprinted with a company, logo, school mascot, golf resort or club name, or a graphic design. The ball marker  28  may be fastened to the thumb guard  20  by employing a magnetic material embedded in the thumb guard  20 . The magnetic material need not cover the entire area of the recess, but have a sufficient surface area to ensure a secure grip on the ball marker  28 . Alternatively, other suitable devices such as a snap mechanism may be used to secure the ball marker  28  to the tool. 
         [0011]    The bottom portion  16  of the golf thumb brush tool  10  comprises a bottom plate  30  preferably with a similar shape and dimensions as the top portion  14  of the tool  10 . The bottom plate  30  comprises a plurality of brush bristles  32  covering at least a portion of the bottom surface of the bottom portion  16 . The bristles  32  may be constructed of a plurality of suitable materials, such as nylon, wire, or a combination thereof. The brush bristles  32  are designed for efficient cleaning and debris removal from various golf implements and golf shoes. 
         [0012]    The golf thumb brush tool  10  can be detachably fastened to a towel  12  or another type of flexible material. The top portion  18  of the golf thumb brush tool  10  is adapted to securely couple to a bottom portion  16  and sandwich a towel  12  in between. The top portion  18  may include one or more spikes  34 , as shown, that are configured to perforate the towel  12  and be inserted in two matching recesses  36  in the bottom plate  30  of the bottom portion  16  of the tool  10 . A release button mechanism  38  disposed in the top portion  14  of the tool  10  may be used to push against the bottom portion  16  and cause the two portions  14  and  16  to separate and detach from the towel  12 . 
         [0013]    Other suitable means of fastening the golf thumb brush tool  10  to a towel  12  are contemplated. For example, the top and bottom portions  14  and  16  may have a hinged clamshell construction adapted to clamp to the towel  12 . In another embodiment, a clip mechanism may be used to clip the two portions  14  and  16  to the towel  12 . Another embodiment contemplated herein employs magnets to secure the golf thumb brush tool  10  to the towel. Yet another embodiment may employ a combination of these fastening mechanisms. 
         [0014]    In yet another embodiment, the golf thumb brush tool  10  may be fastened by a hoop-and-loop fastener to a specialized towel constructed with a loop-and-hook fastener corner or portion thereof. 
         [0015]    It should be noted that the golf thumb brush tool  10  may be configured differently as shown herein. For example, the pointed tool  26  may be disposed on the bottom portion  16  of the tool rather than on the top portion  14 . Further, the thumb grip  18  may include the textured surface  22  without the thumb guard  20 . Alternatively, a small finger grip in the form of a ridge may be used instead of the thumb grip  18  to enable the user to hold the tool  10  to clean with the bristles. As another alternative, the removable ball marker  28  may form part of the textured surface  24  of the thumb pad  22 . 
         [0016]    The golf thumb brush tool  10  can be easily fastened to a towel  12 , and removed as needed to launder the towel. The release button mechanism  38  may be used to easily separate the two portions  14  and  16 . Because the tool  10  is fastened to preferably a corner of the towel  12  typically fastened to the golf bag, it can be easily located and used when needed. The tool  10  is best used by “holding” the tool  10  with a thumb inserted in the space or hollow created between the thumb guard  20  and thumb pad  22 . The textured thumb pad  22  and the thumb guard  20  ensures maximum grip and control of the tool  10  by the user as the brush bristles  32  on the bottom surface of the bottom portion  16  are used to remove dirt and debris from golf equipment. The pointed tool  26  can be used to clean grooved surfaces on the golf equipment. 
         [0017]    Although the golf thumb brush tool  10  can be attached to a towel  12 , it can be detachably fastened to other materials. The golf thumb brush tool  10  may be constructed of any suitable material, such as plastic, metal, graphic composites, combinations thereof, etc. 
         [0018]    The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth below with particularity in the appended claims. However, modifications, variations, and changes to the exemplary embodiments described above will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the golf thumb brush tool described herein thus encompasses such modifications, variations, and changes and are not limited to the specific embodiments described herein.