Patent Publication Number: US-6698696-B1

Title: Stand for supporting frames of a golf bag

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (1) Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a golf bag, and more particularly to a stand structure of the golf bag which includes supporting frames. 
     (2) Description of the Prior Art 
     It is well known in the art that an improved golf bag can have supporting frames or legs. For instance, the “Golf bag” disclosed in Taiwanese Patent Publication No. 341868 is one of those improvements. However, a base of a conventional stand accompanying the supporting frames is usually obliquely shaped so that the base of the golf bag presents a respective slope (in particular, the inclined portion  133  in the cited publication). Upon such an arrangement, clubs inside the golf bag may slide automatically to a lowest portion with respect to the slope of the base. Thereby, the arrangement of clubs inside the golf bag may be messed and makes it difficult to pick a particular club. 
     Therefore, to design a simple-structured and convenient stand for supporting frames of the golf bag so that clubs can rest stably, without sliding arbitrarily, inside the golf bag becomes a crucial issue. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a simple-structured, and easy-to-manufacture and easy-to-assemble stand for supporting frames of a golf bag. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a stand for supporting frames of a golf bag which makes the pick and the accommodation of the clubs easily. 
     The stand for supporting frames of a golf bag in accordance with the present invention is pivotally constricted inside a concave portion formed at a rim of a base located at a lower portion of the golf bag. The supporting frames includes a plurality of oblique legs, a connecting bar and a link bar. The connecting bar can be a hollow-pipe structure for allowing the link bar to pass through thereinside and to stretch thereout at a top end thereof, at where the link bar extends to form a fork shape for further connecting with respective top portions of the oblique legs. Also, top ends of the oblique legs can be pivotally connected at a proper location at top of the golf bag. 
     The stand for supporting frames is characterized in that: the stand for supporting frames comprises an anchoring block, a pivot and an L-shape stand. The anchoring block has a flat portion with a positioning nose, and the flat portion further has a pair of ear portions constructed at opposite sides and a pair of rim fences located respectively outside to the pair of the ear portions. Each of the ear portions has a pivotal hole corresponding to each other. The L-shape stand has a pivotal pipe portion formed at one side and a hook formed at an opposite side. The pivot can pass through the pivotal hole of one ear portion, the pivotal hole of the pivotal pipe portion, and the pivotal hole of another ear portion so that the L-shape stand can rotate freely about the anchoring block. By providing the rim fences of the anchoring block to mate upwards and vertically with respective receiving grooves formed at a vertical surface of the concave portion, a positioning nose of the anchoring block can engage fixedly with an aperture located at the vertical surface. The stand can be fixed with the base and the link bar can engage with the hook. While in use, when the oblique legs of the supporting frames are expanded to drive the link bar and the stand hooked with the link bar, a simultaneous grounding state can be achieved by aligning an outer curve portion of the L-shape stand with a resting surface of the base. 
     Another aspect of the stand for supporting frames in accordance with the present invention is characterized in that: the rim fences of the anchoring block can mate inwards and horizontally with respective receiving grooves formed at a horizontal surface of the concave portion and a positioning nose of the anchoring block can engage fixedly with an aperture located at the horizontal surface. Thereby, the L-shape stand can be fixed with the base. 
     A further aspect of the stand for supporting frames in accordance with the present invention is characterized in that: the flat portion of the anchoring block has a hole and the vertical surface of the concave portion of the base has a corresponding hole. By using a screw set to pass through the hole of the anchoring block and the corresponding hole of the concave portion of the base, the anchoring block can be fixed onto the vertical surface and the L-shape stand can be fixed with the base. 
     One more aspect of the stand for supporting frames in accordance with the present invention is characterized in that: the flat portion of the anchoring block has a hole and the horizontal surface of the concave portion of the base has a corresponding hole. By using a screw set to pass through the hole of the anchoring block and the corresponding hole of the concave portion of the base, the anchoring block can be fixed onto the horizontal surface and the L-shape stand can be fixed with the base. 
     All these objects are achieved by the stand for supporting frames of a golf bag described below. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention will now be specified with reference to its preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings, in which 
     FIG. 1A is a schematic perspective view of a preferred golf bag in accordance with the present invention, posing an upright state; 
     FIG. 1B is a partial cross-sectional view of FIG. 1A showing a lower portion of the golf bag; 
     FIG. 1C is a perspective view of the golf bag of FIG. 1A, posing a slant position sustained by supporting frames; 
     FIG. 1D is a partial cross-sectional view of FIG. 1C showing the lower portion of the golf bag; 
     FIG. 2A is a exploded view of a first embodiment of the stand in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the anchoring block of FIG. 2A by viewing from a different direction; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the stand of FIG. 2A with respect to a base of the golf bag; 
     FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the stand of FIG. 2A connecting with the based of the golf bag; 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the stand in accordance with the present invention, with respect to the base of the golf bag; 
     FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view showing part of FIG. 6; 
     FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view of the stand of FIG. 6 connecting with the base of the golf bag; 
     FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of the stand in accordance with the present invention connecting with the base of the golf bag; and 
     FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view of a fourth embodiment of the stand in accordance with the present invention connecting with the base of the golf bag. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The invention disclosed herein is directed to a stand for supporting frames of a golf bag. In the following description, numerous details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that variations of these specific details are possible while still achieving the results of the present invention. In other instance, well-known components are not described in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscure the present invention., 
     Referring now to FIG.  1 A through FIG. 5, a first embodiment of the stand for supporting frames of the golf bag in accordance with the present invention is-shown. 
     The stand  20  for supporting frames of the golf bag  10  according to the present invention is pivotally constructed inside a concave portion  30  formed at a rim of a base  18  located at a lower portion of the golf bag  10 . The supporting frames include mainly a plurality of oblique legs  14 , a connecting bar  16  and a link bar  12 . The connecting bar  16  is a hollow-pipe structure for allowing the link bar  12  to pass thereinside and to stretch thereout at a top end to form as a fork shape for further connecting with respective top portions of the oblique legs  14 . As shown in FIG. 1A, top ends of the oblique legs  14  can be pivotally connected at a proper location at top of the golf bag  10 . 
     As shown in FIG. 2A, the first embodiment of the present invention includes an anchoring block  40 , a pivot  46  and an L-shape stand  20 . The anchoring block  40  has a flat portion  41  with a positioning nose  48 , as shown in FIG.  2 B. Also, a pair of ear portions  42  are constructed at respective sides of the flat portion  41  of the anchoring block  40 . Each of the ear portion  42  has a pivotal hole  44 . As shown in FIG. 2A, a pair of rim fences  49  are included outside to the pair of the ear portion  42 . The stand  20  has a pivotal pipe portion  24  formed at one side and a hook  22  formed at an opposite side. The pivot  46  is designed to pass through the pivotal hole  44  of the ear portion  42  of the anchoring block  40 , the pivotal hole  44  of the pivotal pipe portion  24  of the stand  20 , and the pivotal hole  44  of another ear portion  42  of the anchoring block  40 . Upon such an arrangement, the stand  20  can rotate freely about the anchoring block  40 . FIG. 1A shows the golf bag  10  posing an upright state, and the respective relationship between the base  18  of the golf bag  10  and the stand  20  is illustrated in FIG.  1 B. At the upright state, the golf bag  10  can steadily stand on the ground by the flatness of the base  18  and the flat bottom surface of the L-shape stand  20 . 
     Referring to FIG.  3  through FIG. 5, the rim fences  49  forming sides of the anchoring block  40  as shown in FIG. 2A can mate, upwards and vertically, respectively with receiving grooves  60  formed at a vertical surface of the concave portion  30  of the base  18 . By providing a positioning nose  48  of the anchoring block  40  to engage fixedly with an aperture  50  located at the vertical surface of the base  18 , the stand  20  can thus fix with the base  18 , and the link bar  12  can engage with the hook  22  of the stand  20 . While in use, when the oblique legs  14  of the supporting frames are expanded to drive the link bar  12  and the stand  20  hooked with the link bar  12 , a simultaneous grounding state as shown in FIG. 5, FIG.  1 C and FIG. 1D is achieved by aligning an outer curve portion of the L-shape stand  20  with a resting surface of the base  18  of the golf bag  10 . 
     Referring now to FIG.  6  through FIG. 8, a second embodiment of the stand  202  for supporting frames of the golf bag in accordance with the present invention is shown. The second embodiment is similar, in structure, to the first embodiment described above, except that the rim fences  49  of the anchoring block  402  of the second embodiment can mate, inwards and horizontally, respectively with the receiving grooves  602  formed at a horizontal surface of the concave portion  30  of the base  182 . 
     In the second embodiment of the present invention, the supporting frames, the anchoring block  402 , and the stand  202  are almost identical in structure, respectively, to the supporting frames, the anchoring block  40 , and the stand  20  of the first embodiment. However, the rim fences  49  at two sides of the anchoring block  402  can mate, inwards and horizontally, respectively with the receiving grooves  602  at two sides of the horizontal surface of the concave portion  30  of the base  182 , as shown in FIG.  6  and FIG.  7 . Also, by providing a positioning nose  48  of the anchoring block  402  to engage fixedly with an aperture  502  located at the horizontal surface of the base  182  as shown in FIG.  7  and FIG. 8, the stand  202  can thus fix with the base  182 , and the link bar  12  can engage with the hook  22  of the stand  202 . While in use, when the oblique legs  14  of the supporting frames are expanded to drive the link bar  12  and the stand  202  hooked with the link bar  12 , a simultaneous grounding state as shown in FIG.  8  and FIG. 1C is achieved by aligning the outer curve portion of the L-shape stand  202  with a resting surface of the base  182  of the golf bag  10 . 
     In the first and the second embodiments of the present invention, the engagement between the base  18 ′  182  and the stand  20 ′  202  as well as the anchoring block  40 ′  402  is achieved by pairing the positioning nose  48  and the aperture  50 ′  502 . However, in a third and a fourth embodiments of the present invention described below, a screw set  54  for fastening the stand  20  and the anchoring block  40  to the base  18  is used. 
     Referring now to FIG. 9, the third embodiment of the present invention is shown. In the third embodiment, the stand  20  and the supporting frames are the same, in structure, as those in the first embodiment. The anchoring block  40  for both embodiments is almost the same, except that the flat portion  41  of the third embodiment does not provide the positioning nose  48  but provides a hole corresponding to another hole located at the vertical surface of the concave portion  30  of the base  18 . By providing the screw set  54  to pass through the hole at the flat portion  41  of the anchoring block  40  and the corresponding hole at the concave portion  30  of the base  18  so as to fasten the anchoring block  40  onto the vertical surface of the base  18 , as shown in FIG. 9, the stand  20  can thus fix with the base  18 , and the link bar  12  can engage with the hook  22  of the stand  20 . While in use, when the oblique legs  14  of the supporting frames are expanded to drive the link bar  12  and the stand  202  hooked with the link bar  12 , a simultaneous grounding state as shown in FIG.  8  and FIG. 16 is achieved by aligning the outer curve portion of the L-shape stand  202  with the resting surface of the base  18  of the golf bag  10 . 
     Referring now to FIG. 10, the fourth embodiment of the present invention is shown. The fourth embodiment is similar to the third embodiment described above, and major difference therebetween is that the horizontal surface of the concave portion  30  of the base in the fourth embodiment provides a hole corresponding to another bole located at the flat portion  41  of the anchoring block  40 . By providing the screw set  54  to pass through the hole at the flat portion  41  of the anchoring block  40  and the corresponding hole at the concave portion  30  of the base  18 , the anchoring block  40  can be fixed to the horizontal surface of the base  18 . 
     In the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the supporting frames, the anchoring block  40  and the stand  20  are almost the same, in structure, as those in the third embodiment. However, the horizontal surface of the concave portion  30  of the base in the fourth embodiment provides a hole corresponding to another hole located at the flat portion  41  of the anchoring block  40 . By providing the screw set  54  to pass through respectively the hole at, the flat portion  41  of the anchoring block  40  and the corresponding hole at the concave portion  30  of the base  18 , the anchoring block  40  can thus be fixed to the horizontal surface of the base  18 . Thereby, the stand  20  can thus fix with the base  18 , and the link bar  12  can engage with the hook  22  of the stand  20 . While in use, when the oblique legs  14  of the supporting frames are expanded to drive the link bar  12  and the stand  202  hooked with the link bar  12 , a simultaneous grounding state as shown in FIG. 1C is achieved by aligning the outer curve portion of the L-shape stand  202  with the resting surface of the base  18  of the golf bag  10 . 
     In various embodiments of the present invention, the supporting frames are preferably to include two oblique legs so that, while in use, the lower portion of the oblique legs can be co-planar with the outer curve portion of the L-shape stand, as shown in FIG.  1 C. Also, it is noted that various embodiments upon the supporting frames are possible and can be used in the present invention. 
     While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.