Abstract:
A cleaning brush for golf clubs, and in particular, a cleaning brush for cleaning the face and grooves of a golf club, is provided. The brush can be clamped securely to the retractable legs of a golf bag, which golf bag preferably has an integral support stand. The brush design allows the golfer to clean their clubs without needing to handle the cleaning brush. An improved method for cleaning golf clubs is thus obtained.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to the field of golf club cleaning brushes, and in particular, to golf club cleaning brushes used in combination with golf bags or stands.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    In recent years there has been a substantial increase in the participation in leisure sporting activities, including the game of golf. Golf has proved to be a popular past time with an ever increasing number of participants. Golfers may play golf under many conditions which will soil the golf club. Accordingly, it often occurs that in playing the game, the golf club head will become embedded with dirt, sand and other foreign materials. These materials can clog up the grooves, cut into the face of the golf club head and can prevent proper contact between the club head and the golf ball. As such, in order to alleviate this problem, golf clubs may need to be cleaned several times during a game.  
           [0003]    Commonly, a towel is employed to wipe any dirt from the club face, but this action may not be sufficient for cleaning the grooves on the club face. At other times, the end of a tee is used to scape material away from the grooves, but this can result in unsatisfactory cleaning of the grooves. To address this issue, the prior art details a variety of methods for cleaning of the club face and/or club face grooves. These methods include ultrasonic cleaning, and cleaning of the club face with a variety of powered and non-powered brushes, for example. With respect to non-powered brushes, a variety of brushes are available which are adapted to be attached to the golfer&#39;s golf bag at or near a spot near the top of the bag.  
           [0004]    It is also common practice to provide a spray bottle for spraying water, or a cleansing solution onto the club face before brushing.  
           [0005]    Typically, the prior art brushes are merely attached to the bag with a clamp or clip located at one end of the brush. In normal operation, the golfer holds the club head with one hand, while using the other hand to operate the brush. As such, an effective brushing operation requires two hands, and can lead to the transfer of dirt, sand, grass, moisture etc. onto the hands of the golfer, or onto the golfer&#39;s equipment, such as, for example, the golfer&#39;s glove, or the like. Further, this arrangement can require the golfer to “hunch over” the golf bag while cleaning the club face.  
           [0006]    Other designs of golf club cleaners are known which completely surround the club head as it is being cleaned. However, these type of cleaners are typically suitable for use for clubs commonly referred to as “irons”, but are generally unsuitable for use in cleaning the face of the clubs commonly referred to as “woods”, “drivers”, “fairway woods”, “fairway metals” and the like, because the club head is too large to be inserted into the club cleaner. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,349 (Jansen van Rensburg), a club cleaning brush is described which attempts to address these issues. However, the operation of this brush would still require both hands of the golfer.  
           [0007]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,734,952 (Parchment et al.) provides a “tub” style brush cleaner in which two opposing brushes are located within a tub containing water or a cleaning solution. While this style of design is suitable for fixed locations or for use on a power cart, it is generally not practical for a golf bag which is carried or which is being pulled in a pull cart.  
           [0008]    It should be noted that recently, there has been greater interest in golfers walking the golf course, rather than using powered golf carts, and, in particular, greater interest in golfers carrying their clubs while playing. As such, lightweight golf bags are extremely popular at the present time. A common feature of such golf bags is that most currently provide a “kickstand” or “support stand” which is used to hold the golf bag in an upright position, when the golf bag is set down, rather than laying the golf bag on the ground. An example of such a golf bag is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,383 (Han), although such golf bags have been known for many years.  
           [0009]    Typically, golf bags with support stands, have two legs which extend from the bag as the bag is set onto the ground. Use of a cleaning brush with this type of bag, however, would still merely involve attaching a brush to the upper end of the golf bag. Using this arrangement would still require the golfer to use both hands to clean the club face while hunched over the golf bag.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0010]    Accordingly, the present invention provides a golf club cleaning apparatus which can be used with one hand, without direct handling of a brush, and which apparatus can be used by the golfer without hunching over the golf bag.  
           [0011]    Thus, the present invention provides a cleaning brush having a proximate end and a distal end, and clamps at each end of said brush for attaching each end of said brush to a brush support mechanism, wherein said brush support mechanism includes, for example, a golf bag, a golf bag support stand (whether integral or removable), a pull cart, or a support post, wherein said brush is effectively fixed into position.  
           [0012]    In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a cleaning brush as hereinabove described wherein said cleaning brush is attached to a lower end of one leg of a support stand.  
           [0013]    Accordingly, the present invention also provides a golf club cleaning apparatus comprising a cleaning brush in combination with a golf bag having a golf bag support stand, wherein said support stand comprises at least two legs for holding said golf bag in an upright position when set onto the ground, and a cleaning brush having a proximate end and a distal end with clamps at each end of said brush for attaching each end of said brush to one leg of said golf bag support stand, wherein said brush is effectively fixed into position.  
         DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
         [0014]    The brush of the present invention can be a wide variety of shapes and sizes, such as, for example, a flat brush of about 6 to 15 cm in length. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the brush comprises a series of outwardly facing bristles so as to enable the golfer to clean irons or woods. In a most preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a brush which is a cylindrical tube having a plurality of radially extending bristles. The cylindrical tube can be a solid piece to which the bristles are attached, or it might be a foraminated cylinder, eg. having a perforated structure, through which the bristles held on the inside of the brush, would extend.  
           [0015]    The bristles of the brush can be made of any suitable material which will remain rigid enough to clean the grooves of the club face, without begin so hard and/or rigid that they would damage the surface or grooves of the club. Preferably, the bristles are made of a polymeric material such as nylon, or polyethylene, but might also be made of a soft metal material, such as, for example, brass.  
           [0016]    The remaining parts of the brush can be made of materials which are preferably light-weight, and can withstand the rigors of prolonged use in an outdoor environment. Plastic materials such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, and the like might be used as well as wood, or metal components made of steel, brass, aluminum or the like.  
           [0017]    The brush would have a clamping system which would firmly lock the brush in place. A preferred clamping system would comprise a clamp at a proximate end and a distal end of the brush, so that both ends of the brush could be firmly clamped in place. The clamping system might be releasable, or it might be fixed to the bag, stand or other support. A preferred clamping system would comprise, however, a worm-gear driven adjustable screw clamp located at each end of the cylindrical brush.  
           [0018]    The brush can be attached directly to the golf bag, but more preferably is affixed to one of the legs of a retractable support stand. Alternatively, the brush can be affixed to a golf pull cart, and in a preferred feature of this embodiment, would comprise a releasable clamping system so that the brush could be moved from pull cart to pull cart, as desired.  
           [0019]    In a further embodiment, the brush might be attached to a support post, such as those used to support ball washers at each tee, for example, and thus provide cleaning brushes at specified locations on the golf course, the golf driving or practice range, or the like. The support post might also be used to support a source of water or cleansing solution, such as a water tub, for wetting the surface of the club to be cleaned.  
           [0020]    The brush is preferably mounted so that it is closer to the bottom of the golf bag rather than the top of the bag, and thus, in operation, is typically less than 0.5 meters from the ground, and more preferably, less than 0.3 meters from the ground. At this height, the golfer can stand erect, hold the golf club by the grip, and brush the club face across the surface of the brush which is locked into position at the lower end of the bag, or otherwise held in a position near the ground. Additionally, and/or optionally, the golfer can carry a spray bottle of water or cleaning solution in order to wet the surface of the club face to be cleaned.  
           [0021]    In a most preferred embodiment, though, the brush is clamped at or near the lower end of one of the legs of a golf bag support stand. Although the golf bag stand may be removably attached to the golf bag, preferably, the golf bag stand is integral with the golf bag. Accordingly, the present invention provides a golf bag with an integral, retractable golf bag stand having at least two legs, and a cleaning brush wherein said cleaning brush is attached to a leg of the retractable stand, and preferably at a lower end of said leg of said retractable stand, wherein said brush is effectively fixed into position. Preferably, the brush has a proximate end and a distal end, and clamps at each end of said brush, wherein said clamps at each end of said brush are used to fix the brush into position.  
           [0022]    In a golf bag system where the brush is included as part of an integral cleaning system for a retractable support stand golf bag, various clamping systems might be included on the brush, the bag, or the support stand, in order to lock the brush into position on the bag or the support legs.  
           [0023]    It should be noted though, that it is a key feature of the present invention, that the brush be essentially fixed in position so that the golfer can clean the club face surface without needing to hold the brush in place. This would allow the golfer to keep one or both hands on the club grip as the club was being cleaned, and would eliminate the need for the golfer to touch or otherwise handle the cleaning brush being used. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0024]    Various embodiments of the golf club cleaning brush of the present invention will now be described by reference to the following drawings wherein:  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one possible cleaning brush according to the present invention; and  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cleaning brush of FIG. 1 which has been affixed to a retractable leg of a golf bag support stand, which legs are, in turn, integral components of a golf bag.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0027]    Other features of the present invention, as well as other objects and advantages attendant thereto, are set forth in the following description and the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals depict like elements.  
         [0028]    In FIG. 1, a cleaning brush generally designated as  10  is shown which includes a, hollow, foraminated steel cylinder  12 . At the centre of cylinder  12  is a wire support rod (not shown) to which a series of bristles  14  are attached. Bristles  14  extend from the support rod through the holes, or perforations, in steel cylinder  12  and then extend radially away from the surface of steel cylinder  12 . As such, bristles  14  extend from the entire surface of cylinder  12 . At each end of cylinder  12  is a support bracket  16 , each of which has an opening  18  through which a worm-gear driven attachment clamp  19  can be inserted. Clamps  19  are used to hold each end of brush  10  in place on a support mechanism.  
         [0029]    In FIG. 2, the cleaning brush  10  of FIG. 1 is shown in use on a golf bag, generally depicted as  20 . The golf bag includes a hollow shell  22  for holding the golf clubs, and an integral, retractable, golf bag support stand  24  having retractable legs  26  and  28 . Cleaning brush  10  could be affixed to either leg  26  or  28 , but in this example, is shown as being affixed to a lower region of leg  28 . It should be noted, however, that brush  10  would not interfere with the normal retraction of leg  28 , and thus, use of the golf bag would not be adversely affected by addition of cleaning brush  10 .  
         [0030]    The brush shown is generally circular in cross-section. However, the brush might also be modified to include a grove on the surface of the brush and/or the support brackets, which would correspond to the diameter of the retractable leg on the golf bag support stand, and thus further prevent the brush from moving.  
         [0031]    In operation, the golf bag would be left standing on the ground after a shot has been played. The golfer would hold the club by the grip, typically in one hand, and would brush the club face across the surface of cleaning brush  10  so that bristles  14  would extend into the grooves of the club face and thus remove any foreign matter from the grooves and/or the face of the club.  
         [0032]    Thus, it is apparent that there has been provided, in accordance with the present invention, a golf club cleaner which fully satisfies the means, objects, and advantages set forth hereinbefore. Therefore, having described specific embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that alternatives, modifications and variations thereof may be suggested to those skilled in the art, and that it is intended that the present specification embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the appended claims.  
         [0033]    Additionally, for clarity and unless otherwise stated, the word “comprise” and variations of the word such as “comprising” and “comprises”, when used in the description and claims of the present specification, is not intended to exclude other additives, components, integers or steps.