Patent Publication Number: US-2012024919-A1

Title: Position Marker Holder

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Position marker devices are common for use in marking or otherwise maintaining the position of an object, such as a golf ball being utilized on a fairway or green during a game of golf. Commonly known, and so-called, golf ball markers are typically formed as small, coin-shaped and/or coin-sized structures, usually fabricated from metal, plastic, or wood. When a golfer&#39;s ball lies in the field of play, the ball marker is typically carried in the golfer&#39;s pocket until is it needed to mark the position of the ball on the putting green or in the fairway. The player then must fetch the marker from the pocket, which may be difficult if the player is additionally carrying coins of currency, tokens, or other items. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic perspective view of a position marker holder according to one implementation. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic top plan view of the position marker holder shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic elevational view taken along the lines  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic elevational view taken along the lines  4 - 4  of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a position marker holder according to an alternative implementation. 
         FIG. 6  is a side elevational view of the position marker holder of  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 7  shows a side elevational view of a tee-shaped securing mechanism adapted with a threaded opening to receive the position marker holder of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying schematic drawings, which form a part hereof. The use of the same symbols in different drawings typically indicates similar or identical items. The illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description, drawings, and claims are provided merely for illustration and are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented here. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present disclosure provides position marker holder devices. While golf ball markers are described for purposes of convenience of understanding, the disclosure is not intended to be limited by the exemplary descriptions provided herein. 
       FIG. 1  shows a first implementation of a position marker holder  100 , which may be used to receive, hold, and retain a marker  102 , or other token. The position marker holder  100  may include a first substrate  104  having a retention mechanism  106  for retaining the marker  102 . The retention mechanism  106  may be formed of a magnetic material such that it magnetically attracts ferromagnetic or other magnetic materials. The marker  102  may be formed in whole or part of a ferromagnetic material such as steel or iron. Accordingly, the marker  102  may be in whole or part magnetically attracted to the magnetic retention mechanism  106 . Alternatively, the retention mechanism  106  may include a ferromagnetic material such as steel or soft iron and the marker  102  may be formed of a magnetic material such that the marker  102  may be in whole or part magnetically attracted to the metallic retention mechanism  106 . 
     The position marker holder  100  may further include a lip  108  for aligning the marker  102  with the retention mechanism  106 . The lip  108  may also restrict the movement of the marker  102  as it sets upon the marker holder  100 . Thus, according to this example implementation, the marker  102  may be held toward and against the holder  100  by the magnetic attraction of the retention mechanism and may be partially restricted from movement along the surface of the marker by lip  108 . 
     The position marker holder  100  additionally includes a securing mechanism  110  for securing the position marker holder  100  to a receptacle. According to one implementation, the securing mechanism is a bolt or threaded shaft adapted for fitting the umbrella holder or other threaded opening on a conventional golf pull cart, golf push cart, powered golf cart, and so forth. According to this implementation, and using one example, a user may secure the position marker holder  100  to a golf push cart by inserting the securing mechanism  110  of the position marker holder into a threaded opening of the cart and turning the position marker holder  100  until the securing mechanism  110  engages with the threaded opening to secure the position marker holder  100  to the cart. The threaded opening may be integral with the cart or may itself be an attached to the cart, which is secured in a conventional manner. The securing mechanism may be engaged with any other threaded opening such as on an accessory holder, an umbrella handle, or even a putter handle equipped with a threaded opening. 
       FIG. 2  shows a top elevational view of the position marker holder  100 . The marker  102  is shown in dashed line to illustrate an exemplary manner in which the marker  102  may be positioned on the substrate  104 . The retention mechanism  106  may directly opposite of the securing mechanism  110  (the securing mechanism  110  shown by the dotted line) or may be offset from the securing mechanism  110 , as shown. Placing the retention mechanism  106  closer to the lip may ensure that the pull or retention force between the marker  102  and the retention mechanism  106  is highest at a point close to the lip  108  and lower at a point further from the lip  108 . Positioning the retention mechanism  106  in this manner may facilitate a user in grasping or moving the marker at a point further from the lip  108  and the retention mechanism  106 . A user may position the marker holder  100  on the golf cart or other device such that a user may slide or maneuver the marker into place by moving the marker toward the lip  108 . Similarly, the user could retrieve the marker  102  by sliding the marker away from or along the lip  108 . 
       FIG. 3  shows a side elevational view of the marker holder  100  taken along line  3 - 3  in  FIG. 2 . The substrate  104  may be formed of plastic, metal, wood, ceramic, composite, or other suitable material and may be formed by any conventional method. For example, the substrate  104  may be formed of a plastic material by a molding process that incorporates the retention mechanism  106 , the lip  108 , and the securing mechanism  110  or these features may be attached to or incorporated with the substrate  104  after initial formation of the substrate  104 . Of course, the substrate  104  may be formed by any other suitable technique including stamping, extrusion, or other formation technique which may include adapting the substrate  104  to accept, incorporate, or otherwise engage with the retention mechanism  106 , the lip  108 , and/or the securing mechanism  110 . 
       FIG. 4  shows a side elevational view of the marker holder  100  taken along line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 2 . As discussed above, the retention mechanism  106  may be offset with regard to the securing mechanism  110  and may be positioned adjacent to the lip  108 . The retention mechanism  106  could alternatively be located in any other suitable portion of the substrate  104 , such as aligned with the securing mechanism  110 . The securing mechanism  110  and the substrate  104  are shown to have a cylindrical shape with their axes aligned. However, the securing mechanism  110  and the substrate  104  need not necessarily be cylindrical or aligned. For example, the substrate  104  may be any regular or irregular shape and the securing mechanism  110  may be offset with regard to the regular or irregular shape of the substrate  104 . The securing mechanism  108  may be formed of plastic, metal, wood, ceramic, composite, or other suitable material. 
     The retention mechanism  106  has so far been described as a magnetic material for magnetically attracting and retaining the marker  102 . The use of a magnetic material incorporated or secured within or on the substrate  104  allows the marker  102  to be carried in such a way as to be immediately accessible for use and in a manner prominently displayed for all to view. Furthermore, other articles which are subject to magnetic attraction may be likewise releasably secured to the retention mechanism  106  of marker holder  100 . For example, an iron or steel golf divot repair tool may also be placed in contact with the retention mechanism and will remain secured to the marker holder  100  until purposefully removed therefrom. 
     According to an alternative implementation, the retention mechanism  106  and marker  102  may be used that incorporate a snap, hook-and-loop fastener, tack tape, tack paper, light glue, or other force to releasably secure the marker  102  to the retention mechanism  106 . 
     According to the implementation shown, the lip  108  may be shaped as a semicircular raised fin, the fin extending out in an axial direction from the substrate and having a semicircular shape corresponding to the shape of the marker, the shape of the substrate, or both. The lip  108  may extend to a larger or lesser extent shown. The lip  108  may alternatively formed as a semicircular radial depression having a semicircular shape corresponding to the shape of the marker, the shape of the substrate, or both, the depression configured to accept a portion of a marker  102  therein to at least partially restrict movement of the marker  102  along the surface of the substrate  104 . According to another alternative, the lip  108  may be provided as a shallow radial depression or radial lip that extends completely along a circular shape and is sized and shaped to accept a marker  102  within the lip or depression, but that is sufficiently shallow to allow the marker  102  to be easily removed from the marker holder  100 . 
       FIGS. 5 and 6  show an alternative position marker holder  500 , which, like position marker holder  100 , is configured to accept and retain a marker  102  and includes a substrate  504 , retaining mechanism  506 , and lip  508 , which are similar or identical to substrate  104 , retaining mechanism  106 , and lip  108 . However, the securing mechanism  508  is configured to be shaped and sized like a conventional golf tee. This shape allows the position marker holder  500  to be mounted in a location that is configured to accept or retain a golf tee, such as a frame, steering wheel, or other portion of a power or push golf cart, a golf bag, a golf accessory holder, an accessory, such as an umbrella, and so forth. The securing mechanism  510  may be formed of plastic, metal, wood, ceramic, composite, or other suitable material. 
       FIG. 7  shows a side elevational view of a tee shaped securing mechanism  700  adapted with a threaded opening to receive a position marker holder such as that shown in  FIG. 1 . According to this implementation, the tee shaped securing mechanism  700  may be sized and shaped similar, or identical, to a conventional tee and may have a threaded opening  702  at one end, typically referred on a tee as the “top” of the tee. The threaded opening  702  is configured to receive a securing mechanism, such as securing mechanism  110 . 
     CONCLUSION 
     Undoubtedly, numerous variations and modifications of the invention will become readily apparent to those familiar with golf accessories and the game of golf. Although implementations of the position marker holder have been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the system and method defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the claims.