Patent Publication Number: US-9849360-B2

Title: Golf tee with ball support

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     Ornamental aspects of the present invention are disclosed in commonly owned and concurrently filed U.S. design patent application Ser. No. 29/547,623, entitled Golf Tee, the subject matter of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a golf tee with a support for the golf ball. More specifically, the golf tee is designed to support a golf ball in such a manner that the ball&#39;s spin rate is reduced, the ball&#39;s distance is increased, and the ball&#39;s speed is maximized. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Conventional golf tee designs fail to optimize the spin rate of the golf ball when struck, optimize the distance of the golf ball when struck, and maximize ball speed. Traditional golf tees are designed to hold a golf ball inside a cup or socket to stabilize the ball prior to the ball being struck. The design of these cups of conventional golf tees, however, causes excess backspin on the ball when struck. This is because when the ball is struck, there is resistance from the cup of the golf tee that causes the ball to spin at a more rapid pace and balloon, thereby decreasing the distance and speed of the ball. 
     Therefore, a need exists for a golf tee that creates less resistance and thus a low ball spin rate when the ball is struck, thereby increasing the overall distance of the ball and maximizing the speed of the ball. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, the present invention provides a golf tee that includes a stake that has an insertion end and a crown for supporting a golf ball. The crown is supported by the stake opposite the stake&#39;s insertion end. The crown has a plurality of external prongs, a cup portion defined between the plurality of external prongs, and at least one internal post that extends from a base of the cup portion. The internal post is disposed on the base of the cup portion between the plurality of external prongs. In a preferred embodiment, there are three external prongs spaced equidistant from one another and the internal post is centrally disposed between the prongs. 
     The present invention may also provide a golf tee that includes a stake that has an insertion end and a crown for supporting a golf ball. The crown is supported by the stake opposite the stake&#39;s insertion end. The crown has a plurality of external prongs, a cup portion defined between the plurality of external prongs, and at least one internal post extending from a base of the cup portion. The internal post is disposed on the base of the cup portion between the plurality of external prongs. The internal post has a height measured from the base that is less than a height of each of the plurality of external prongs measured from the base, such that each of the plurality of external prongs defines a ball contact surface at an inner edge thereof, and the internal post defines a ball contact surface at an end face of a free end thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the ball contact surface of the internal post is configured to accept the majority of the weight of the golf ball. 
     With those and other objects, advantages, and features of the invention that may become hereinafter apparent, the nature of the invention may be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description of the invention, the appended claims, and the several drawings attached herein. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing figures: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a golf tee according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a side elevational view of the golf tee illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a top view of the golf tee illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a bottom view of the golf tee illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the golf tee illustrated in  FIG. 1 , taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 3 ; and 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged partial side view of the golf tee illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-6 , the following is a detailed description of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In general, the present invention relates to a golf tee  100  designed to reduce resistance on the golf ball to produce the lowest spin rate of the golf ball when struck, in comparison to conventional golf tees. For example, the golf tee of the present invention produces a spin rate of the ball of 3395.1 rotations per minute compared to 3712 rotations per minute for a ball on a conventional golf tee, which is a 10% lower spin rate on the ball for the present invention. That lower spin rate on the ball results in a significant increase in the distance achieved by the ball and a signification increase in the speed of the ball. For example, a distance of 253.5 yards is achieved with the present invention versus only 250 yards for conventional golf tees, and a ball speed of 60.6 mph is achieved with the present invention as compared to 60.1 mph for a ball on a conventional golf tee. Thus the design of the golf tee of the present invention maximizes the distance and speed achieved by the golf ball. The golf tee  100  generally includes a stake  102  for inserting the golf tee  100  into the ground or other support, a crown  104  for supporting the golf ball, and a neck  106  between the stake  102  and the crown  104 . 
     The stake  102  of the golf tee  100  includes a narrow elongated body  108  shaped and sized for insertion into the ground or other support, as best seen in  FIG. 2 . A distal end of the stake  102  is the insertion end  110  of the stake  102 . The insertion end  110  is preferably pointed to facilitate insertion into the ground or other support. 
     The golf tee  100  may optionally include a tee height indicator  112 . In a preferred embodiment, the tee height indicator  112  is located adjacent the stake  102  opposite the stake&#39;s insertion end  110 . The tee height indicator  112  includes a ground abutment surface  114  for stopping against the ground or other support when the golf tee  100  is inserted and ready to receive a golf ball, thereby indicating the optimal height of the golf tee  100 . In a preferred embodiment, the tee height indicator  112  is an outwardly extending annular shoulder located between the neck  106  and the stake  102  where the ground abutment surface  114  faces the insertion end  110  of the stake  102 , as seen in  FIG. 2 . 
     The crown  104  supports the golf ball and is configured to reduce resistance of the golf ball when struck. The crown  104  may include a plurality of external prongs  120 . The external prongs  120  are joined at the bottom at an end  122  of the neck  106  remote from the stake  102 . The external prongs  120  preferably taper outwardly from the bottom in a direction away from the neck  106 . Each external prong  120  has an end face  124  that has an inner edge  126 . Each of the end faces  124  are preferably substantially flat. Each inner edge  126  defines a balancing point for balancing the golf ball when it rests on the crown  104 , as seen in  FIG. 6 . Each balance point may contact the ball at a 90 degree angle, for example. In a preferred embodiment, there are three external prongs  120  that are spaced equidistant from one another, as seen in  FIG. 3 . It should be understood, however, that any number of external prongs  120  may be used and such prongs may be spaced either equidistant from one another or not equidistant from one another. 
     The crown  104  includes at its free end a cup portion  130  between the ends of the external prongs  120 . The cup portion  130  generally includes concave walls  132  that join to form a base  134 . An internal post  140  extends from the base  134  of the cup portion  130 . The internal post  140  is preferably centrally disposed on the base  134  such that the internal post  140  is generally equidistant from each external prong  120 , as best seen in  FIG. 3 . The internal post  140  includes an end face  142  which defines a contact surface for contacting the golf ball when received on the crown  104 . The end face  142  may be substantially flat. The internal post  140  is designed to accept the majority of the weight of the golf ball, thereby lifting the golf ball from the base  134  of the cup portion  130 . Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes one internal post  140  that is centrally located in the cup portion  130 , it should be understood that more than one internal post may be used to support the golf ball, and those multiple internal posts may be disposed off-center. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the height h of the internal post  140  is less than the height H of the external prongs  120 , as best seen in  FIG. 6 . The height h of the internal post  140  is measured from the base  134  of the cup portion  130  to the end face  142  of the post  140 . The height H of each external prong  120  is likewise measured from the base  134  to the end faces  124  of the prongs  120 . The height h of the internal post  140  is preferably about 20% less than the height H of the prongs  140 . The external prongs  120  and the internal post  140 , including the respective heights thereof, are configured such that the majority of the weight of the golf ball supported by the crown  104  is on the contact surface or end face  142  of the internal post  140  and the external prongs  120  act merely to balance the ball on the crown at the balancing points or inner edges  126 . As such, the golf ball barely contacts the inner edges  126  of the external prongs  120 . The internal post  140  lifts the golf ball above the typical resting point of a ball on a traditional tee, i.e. the bottom of the cup, and supports the majority of the weight of the ball so that the ball does not rest on the external prongs and instead the external prongs  120  balance the ball. 
     The golf tee  100  is preferably formed as a unitary one-piece member, as best seen in  FIG. 5 . The unitary one-piece member is preferably formed of a rigid or semi-rigid material, such as nylon, polyethylene, ABS, alloys of each, and the like. However, the components of the golf tee  100 , such as the stake  102 , crown  104 , and neck  106 , may be separately formed and attached to one another. And those separate components may be formed of the same or different materials. 
     Although certain presently preferred embodiments of the disclosed invention have been specifically described herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains that variations and modifications of the various embodiments shown and described herein may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the invention be limited only to the extent required by the appended claims and the applicable rules of law. 
     It should be understood that the inventive concepts set forth herein are not limited in their application to the construction details or component arrangements set forth in the description or illustrated in the drawings. It should also be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are merely for descriptive purposes and should not be considered limiting. It should further be understood that any one of the described features may be used separately or in combination with other features. Other invented systems, methods, features, and advantages will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examining the drawings and the detailed description herein. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be protected by the accompanying claims