Abstract:
A dual golf bag combination (whole golf bag), consisting of a main golf bag coupled to an accessory golf bag. The female coupler is the top of the main bag and the male coupler is the top of the accessory bag. The coupling and uncoupling of the two bags is easy to accomplish multiple times during a round of golf. When coupled the two bags are well secured to each other and the whole bag can be carried during a round of golf.

Description:
REFERENCE CITED 
       [0001]      
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 4858761 
                 August 1989 
                 Fumia 
               
               
                 4911292 
                 March 1990 
                 Airey, Jr. 
               
               
                 5358109 
                 October 1994 
                 Nichols 
               
               
                 5472084 
                 December 1995 
                 Aliano, Jr. 
               
               
                 5540431 
                 July 1996 
                 Crozier 
               
               
                 5632496 
                 May 1997 
                 Nelson 
               
               
                 5918737 
                 July 1999 
                 Kwon 
               
               
                 6098769 
                 August 2000 
                 Yen 
               
               
                 6149041 
                 November 2000 
                 Perino et al 
               
               
                 6640970 
                 November 2003 
                 Townsend Jr. 
               
               
                 6758334 
                 July 2004 
                 Uner, et al 
               
               
                 2002/0066763 
                 June 2002 
                 Hsuen 
               
               
                 WO 91/18650 
                 December 1991 
                 WO 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
       FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention is a dual golf bag combination of a main golf bag and a smaller attached accessory golf bag (carry bag) that can easily be removed and replaced multiple times during a round of golf. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    When sharing a golf cart with another golfer you are limited by having to walk to the golf cart to grab the right club for every golf shot. Frequently the golf cart is at a long distance from where your golf ball is located, requiring you to walk this distance to grab the appropriate club. Alternatively, you can grab more than one club from your bag and take them with you to where your ball lies. However, by taking more than one club you must drop the extra clubs on the grass, and possibly get the grips wet. Furthermore, by leaving loose clubs lying on the grass one runs the risk of leaving a club behind. With an accessory bag available you can carry the extra clubs from the golf cart to your ball and the above problems can be prevented. Ideally an accessory golf bag is built into the main bag and therefore, does not take extra room to carry. Also, the accessory bag should not add very much weight to the main bag. Furthermore, since the accessory bag will be removed multiple times during a round of golf it should be easy to remove and reattach to the main bag and when attached it should be well secured so that it does not move or become detached from the main bag as the golf cart is moving or if the main bag is carried during a round. 
         [0004]    Uner &amp; Schuneman (U.S. Pat. No. 6,758,334) and Husen (U.S. Pat. No. 2002/0066763) disclosed accessory built in carry bags with different coupling mechanisms. Some of these described mechanisms are impractical to use, because they may be time consuming or difficult to accomplish the attachment multiple times during a round of golf. Also, other coupling mechanisms described may not be strong enough to hold the accessory bag in place and may detach spontaneously with excessive movement of the main bag. Finally, in the Uner &amp; Schuneman patent the sides of the two bags that are to be coupled need to have firm surfaces for successful coupling. This can add unnecessary weight to the bag. 
         [0005]    The present invention described uses the entire perimeter of the most superior part of the accessory bag (male coupler) to couple with the most superior part of the main bag (female coupler). Therefore, no other coupling system is necessary, resulting in a much easier, faster, and more secure method of attaching and detaching the two bags and at the same time reducing the weight of the bag so that it is lighter to carry. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The object of the present invention is to simplify the mechanism of attaching and detaching the accessory bag from the main bag so that it is easy for the golfer to accomplish this task multiple times during a golf round. Ideally, the detaching and reattaching the accessory bag to the main bag should be about as easy as removing and replacing a golf club from and into the bag. Also, when the two bags are coupled they should function as one bag. The bags should be securely attached and will not unintentionally uncouple with excessive motion of the whole bag, such as when it is being carried during a golf round. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]    The drawings used to help describe the invention are detailed below: 
           [0008]      FIG. 1  is a drawing of the whole golf bag (coupled main and accessory bags). Aesthetically the attached bags should have the appearance of one bag. The accessories include a shoulder strap to carry the whole bag, a hidden hand strap to carry the accessory bag a golf bag stand that can be used for both the accessory or whole bag and two slits opposite each other for the golf cart strap to go through. There is also a pull-out handle on the accessory bag and a push-in handle on the main bag. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a drawing of the accessory bag separate from the main bag. 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a drawing of the accessory bag with the golf bag stand open. 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a drawing of a top down view of the upper coupling of the two bags. A spring loaded club divider can be seen in the accessory bag. Magnified views of two examples of the divider are included as part of the drawing. 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a series of drawings of the upper bags coupling system.  5 A illustrates the male coupler at maximum compression.  5 B illustrates the couplers coupled. Included is a drawing of how the perimeter of the coupling system, appearing seamless when coupled. Included is a lip extending from the female coupler over the male coupler.  5 C is a magnified drawing of a side view of segment of  5 B. 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is a drawing of the base of the main bag, including the circular platform where the accessory bag will rest. An open space on the platforms perimeter is illustrated. 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  is a drawing illustrating two different methods of attaching the golf cart strap to the main bag. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0015]    As seen in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 ,  5 A and  5 B the present invention uses the entire perimeter of the most superior aspect of the accessory bag,  3  (male coupler,  1 ) to couple with the imprint of the accessory bag on the main bag (female coupler,  2 ), also located in the most superior aspect of the main bag,  4 . For purposes of this description the male coupler,  1  can be circular and fits in snuggly into the female coupler,  2 . As seen in  FIGS. 5A and 5B  the female coupler,  2  will have an open side on its perimeter that is less than the diameter of the male coupler,  1  but large enough for the male coupler to compress through. As seen in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  3  the male coupler,  1  is the accessory golf bag&#39;s saddle,  3  and the female coupler,  2  is part of the main bags saddle,  4 , inside which club partitions are located. As seen in  FIGS. 1 ,  4 , and  5 , for purposes of this description, the partition in the accessory,  5  bag runs parallel to the opening length of the female coupler,  2 . As seen in  FIGS. 4 ,  5 A, and  5 B this partition,  5  is spring loaded, so that it compresses as the male coupler,  1  is being pushed or pulled through the perimeter opening of the female coupler,  2 . However, once inside or outside of the female coupler the spring loaded partition,  5  expands back to its natural state. Therefore, when coupled the spring pushes the walls of the male coupler against the walls of the female coupler, resulting in a tight, fit. Illustrated in  FIG. 4  and for the purpose of this description, the spring loaded partition,  5  can be made of two circular tubes one of slightly smaller diameter that slides inside the other. A compressible spring can run inside the length of both tubes. Alternatively, the partition in the accessory bag can be made from a bendable material that retains its memory, such as certain plastics, or an alloy, such as nitnol. Also, as illustrated in  FIGS. 5B , and  5 C the perimeter of the female coupler,  2  can extend over the perimeter of the male coupler,  1  as a lip,  6  to prevent the accessory bag,  10  from sliding out if turned upside down. As seen in  FIGS. 5A  and B The perimeter of the accessory bags saddle (male coupler,  1 ) must be constructed out of a flexible material capable of compressing and changing shape as it passes through the narrow opening of the female coupler,  2  and then return to its normal shape once inside or outside the female coupler. One way to accomplish this function is to line the perimeter of the accessory bags saddle with a flexible, yet strong material made out of an alloy, such as nitnol. Nitnol will keep its memory and strength after multiple passes through the female coupler. The base or more distal end of both the main and accessory bags can also be coupled in a similar fashion. Alternatively, as seen in  FIG. 6 , the base of the main bag,  7  can extend under the base of the accessory bag,  8  and be a hollowed out platform with the same shape and of slightly larger perimeter than the base of the accessory bag for a snug fit when the base of the accessory bag sits inside it. In  FIG. 1  the action of removing the bag in the preferred embodiment is to first, grab the pull handle,  19  on the accessory bag,  10  with one hand and the push handle,  20  on the main bag,  9  with the other hand and pull the upper most portion of the accessory bag towards you and then lift the bag off the base of the main bag. As seen in  FIG. 2 , reattaching the accessory bag to the main bag would be to first set the bottom of the accessory bag,  8  on the base of the main bag,  7  coupling them together at the base and then push the upper end of the accessory bag,  1  into the upper end of the main bag,  2  under the lip that extends from the main bag, coupling them together at the top. The pull handle,  19  can protrude from the top of the accessory bag as illustrated in  FIGS. 1 ,  3  &amp;  5 , or alternatively it can be a slit in the same location large enough to fit  4  fingers to lift and pull the accessory bag. 
         [0016]    The golf bag is attached to the golf cart by a strap. In this invention only the main bag will be attached to the golf cart. Therefore, the strap will not hinder with the removal of the accessory bag. Multiple ways could be used to attach the main bag to the golf cart. In  FIG. 7  two options are illustrated. The first is to have slits on the side of the main bag,  12 , which the strap passes through from one end to the other. The second option shown is the strap going around the main bag and through strap loops,  13  placed on the outside of the main bag that faces the accessory bag. Once the strap is placed it should not interfere with the attachment of the accessory bag to the main bag or interfere with the placement of the golf clubs inside either bag. 
         [0017]      FIGS. 1 ,  2 , &amp;  3  show that the accessory bag can have other accessories on it, such as a handle,  14  to carry the bag. This handle can be located on the coupling side of the bag, so that it disappears from sight when the two bags are coupled. Also, the accessory bag can have a golf bag stand,  15  to hold the bag up when you set it on the ground.  FIG. 1  shows that the stand,  15  is located opposite the coupling side of the bag and can also be used as a stand for the whole bag (coupled main and accessory bag).  FIGS. 6 &amp; 7  show that the base of the main bag,  7  has an opening on its perimeter,  17  large enough for the pedal of the golf bag stand,  18  shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , &amp;  3 , to protrude through and can be used to orient the accessory bag correctly for coupling to the main bag.