Patent Publication Number: US-2007099718-A1

Title: Hand held golf ball pick-up apparatus

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention is directed to hand held golf ball pick-up device allowing a golfer to pick up a golf ball from a golf cart and, more particularly, to a pick up apparatus including a flexible opening through which a ball is pushed by the user into a receptacle.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      Golf ball pick-up devices typically are of two types, a cart pilled mechanical device used by golf ranges to pick up a large number of golf balls, and hand held devices suitable for picking up single balls. The hand held devices include rubber attachments that can be fit onto a golf club handle, such as a putter, and pole like devices that can be part of a pick-up bag or an umbrella. In these handhold devices the opening for picking up the ball has a diameter that is typically slightly smaller than the ball. When the pick-up device is pressed onto the ball the ball essentially “pops into” the holder. Because the size of the opening for receiving the ball is essentially the same size as the golf ball, the user needs to accurately place the opening onto the ball. This is not a big problem when the user is walking about and can walk up to the ball, stand relatively still and place the opening onto the ball. However, when the user is riding in a golf where the user needs to lean out of the golf cart to pick up the golf ball, the use of these hand held devices is much more of a problem and typically are so difficult to use that these conventional devices are not used in this situation. The need to pick up a golf ball while moving about in a golf cart typically arises in certain types of golf game/tournament formats, such as a scramble format. In these types of formats the players need to pick up their golf balls quickly to keep the pace of play at an acceptable speed. Rather than use one of the conventional hand held pick-up devices, players using carts typically lean out of the carts or stop the cart and get out of the cart to pick up the ball with their hand. Leaning out of the cart is dangerous and getting out of the cart slows down the pace of play.  
      What is needed is a hand held golf ball pick-up device that does not require the positioning accuracy of the conventional devices and that can be used from essentially a sitting position in a golf cart.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      It is an aspect of the present invention to provide a hand held golf ball pick-up device that does not require a high degree of placement accuracy to pick up the ball.  
      It is another aspect of the present invention to allow a person sitting in a golf cart to easily pick up a golf ball.  
      The above aspects can be attained by a hand held golf ball pick-up device allowing a golfer to pick up a golf ball from a golf cart. The device has a handle and a receptacle. The receptacle has a lip from which projections project toward an interior of the receptacle. The projections are flexible. The tips of the projections form an opening space through which the ball is pushed into the receptacle. Opposing projections have a distance there between, across the opening, of less than a diameter of the golf ball. The projections hold the golf ball in the receptacle but allow fingers to reach into the receptacle to remove the ball.  
      These together with other aspects and advantages which will be subsequently apparent, reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  depicts depict major components of the hand held pick-up device of the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  illustrates one embodiment of a pick-up mechanism of the present invention.  
       FIGS. 3-7  depict additional embodiments of the pick-up mechanism.  
       FIG. 8  shows a golf club shaped embodiment of the device. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      A hand held pick-up device  10  according to the present invention, as depicted in  FIG. 1 , is designed to allow picking up a golf ball  12  by hand without the need for a high degree of placement accuracy. The device  10  includes a handle  14  and a capture mechanism  16  that has an inside diameter  18  larger than the diameter  20  of the golf ball  12 . As a result, the placement accuracy for the pick-up mechanism  16  relative to the ball is lower than that for the conventional pick-up devices.  
       FIG. 2  shows a more detailed bottom view  30  and a side cutaway type view  32  of the pick-up mechanism  16  relative to the golf ball  12 . In this embodiment the pick-up mechanism  16  includes a cup shaped receptacle  34  where the ball resides after it has been captured (a ball is shown in the receptacle  34  in dashed lines in the side view  32 ). The receptacle can be made of a number of different materials, such as plastic, rubber, metal or a composite material. As shown the interior of the receptacle  34  is large enough so that the ball can move around in the receptacle  34 . A circular shaped opening  36  of the receptacle  34  includes finger like projections  38  that project toward the center of the opening  38  parallel to the an imaginary surface formed by the opening. The projections are positioned at the “lower” edge or lip of the receptacle  34 . These projections extend radially into the opening such that a distance  40  between opposing tips (or virtually opposing tips when the tips are not positioned directly opposite each other) of the projections  38  is less than the diameter of the ball  12 . A typical golf ball has a diameter of around 1.75 inches and the tip to tip spacing would be less than that, say around 1.65 inches. The projections  38 , in this embodiment, are of a flexible material, such as rubber or plastic, that will bend to allow the ball to be pushed through the opening into the receptacle  34 .  
      The receptacle  34  is of such an interior size, and the projections  38  are sufficiently flexible and sufficient space exists between the projections  38 , so that the user can stick one or more fingers of the users hand “through” the projections  38  and into the receptacle  34  to remove the ball by grasping it or levering it out. During use the receptacle opening  36  is placed over the ball and pushed down onto the ball. The ball flexes the projections  38  and pops into the receptacle. Because the opening  36  is large relative to the size of the ball, the placement accuracy of the opening over and onto the ball during pick up need not be high. For example, the ball can be offset to one side of the interior of the opening receptacle and still be picked up. This can even allow the user to pick up the ball from a moving golf cart.  
      The receptacle  34  and projections  36  can be made of different materials, such as metal and plastic respectively. When the material are of different types that can be attached to each other with in a number of different ways including using conventional glue, screws, rivets, etc. However, the receptacle and projections can be formed of a single material such as plastic or rubber, which is what is depicted in  FIG. 2 .  
       FIG. 3  depicts a second embodiment of the present invention where the projections  50  are stick like. Again the projections  50  are flexible allowing the ball to be pushed past the projections  50  into the interior of the cup like receptacle  52 . The projections  50  in this embodiment can be brush bristles attached to or bound to a bristle holder  54 , using, for example glue. The holder  54  is attached to the interior surface of the receptacle  52  along its lower edge. The holder  54  can be attached to the receptacle  52  using glue, screws, etc.  
       FIG. 4  illustrates a further embodiment where the projections  60  are flap like flexible projections. In this embodiment, a small air gap  62  exists between the flaps  60 .  
      The opening of the receptacle need not be circular. The opening can be of any shape, such as triangular, square (rectangle), oval, or even irregular as depicted in  FIG. 5 .  FIG. 5  is a bottom view of pick-up mechanism  70  where the shape  72  of the opening and the bottom edge of receptacle  74  is shaped like the bottom of a driver or wood type golf club. In this embodiment bristle type projections  76  are shown, however, the projections can be finger or flap like.  
      For non-circular shaped openings, a body  90  of the receptacle  92  can extend inward, as depicted in  FIG. 6 , to form a circular shaped opening  94  from which the projections  96  project.  
      The projections have been shown in prior figures as forming an open space through which the ball passes shaped somewhat like a circle. However, the open space need not be circular as depicted in  FIG. 7 . In this embodiment the opening  110  is rectangular and an open space  112  is shaped like a rectangle where the brush type projections reflect the shape of the opening. In this embodiment, the projections also do not surround the open space. Note  FIG. 5  shows an open space shape that is not similar to the opening shape. In versions where the open space is not circular, the open space typically has projections arranged so that the ball will be “captured” by the projection. This involves projections that are substantial in opposition having a distance there between of less than a diameter of the golf ball. For example, bristles within the groups of bristles  114  and  116  even though they are may not be aligned exactly opposite each other are in opposition to each other and form virtual edges that are separated by less than the diameter of the golf ball. This is so that a golf ball can be pushed through the opening but will not pass through the opening of its own accord when under the influence of typical forces such as gravity and the force involved in picking the device off of the ground.  
       FIG. 8  depicts a golf club shaped pick-up device  120  where the pick-up mechanism  122  is shaped like the head of a driver/wood type club. This embodiment can have an opening like that shown in  FIG. 5 , as shown, or one of the other types previously discussed. The shaft or handle  124  of this embodiment is preferably around 36 inches long, the length of a typical wood, allowing a person in a golf cart to reach a ball on the ground next to the cart. A conventional grip  126  can also be used on the handle. By making the pick-up mechanism the shape of a golf club head, the pick-up device will not look out of place on a golf cart.  
      The device  10  of the present invention will typically be carried during play in the passenger compartment area of the golf cart. To make this more convenient, the handle can include a hook or other position holding mechanism allowing the device  10  to be conveniently within reach of the golfers riding in the cart. The holding mechanism can be a snap-in carrier attached to an interior front panel of the cart compartment or to a carrying basket typically located behind the passenger seat, or some other mechanism.  
      Because the top surface of the golf club “head” of the golf club shaped embodiment has a relatively large surface area it can be used for a logo of an entity, such as an entity sponsoring a golf tournament, such as a scramble type tournament. The logo could be that of a golf club/course, club maker, sponsoring company, etc.  
      The projections have been described as projecting substantially parallel with a virtual surface formed by the opening. However, the projections can project somewhat upward with respect to the handle or project somewhat downward with respect to the handle.  
      The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification and, thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention that fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.  
      The handle  124  can be hallow and with an inside diameter sufficient to allow the golf ball to roll through the handle  124  and the grip  126  and out of the end, so that the user can receive the ball into their hand through the end of the shaft  124  at the end of the grip  126 , by tilting the club head  122  into the air.