Patent Publication Number: US-2017348581-A1

Title: Golf putting apparatus

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part (CIP) of U.S. Utility patent application Ser. No. 15/175,001, filed Jun. 6, 2016, currently pending, which in turns claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/171,199, filed Jun. 4, 2015. The entire disclosure of both of these documents is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to the field of golf aids and more specifically relates to a portable putting mat with knobs on the sides to adjust particular sections of the surface. By varying the amount of slope between where the ball is hit and the hole, golfers will be able to practice on a more realistic surface. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     The game of golf is extremely popular, and all those who enjoy it would love to improve their scores. Casual players, amateurs and professional golfers can enhance their skills by practicing the parts of the game which cause them problems. Putting can be challenging, and golfers work on improving their skills on putting greens and using putting mats when they are not playing a game. These alternatives allow golfers to practice shooting the ball in a straight line to the hole, but do not provide practice for putting on greens which are not perfectly level. 
     Various attempts have been made to solve the problems which may be found in the related art but have thus far been unsuccessful. A need exists for a reliable golf putting apparatus to avoid the above-mentioned problems. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known art, the present invention provides a novel golf putting apparatus. The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a portable putting mat with knobs on the sides to adjust particular sections of the surface. By varying the amount of slope between where the ball is hit and the hole, golfers will be able to practice on a more realistic surface. The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings and detailed description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The figures which accompany the written portion of this specification illustrate embodiments and method(s) of use for the present invention, golf putting apparatus, constructed and operative according to the teachings of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 1-3  show various perspective views illustrating golf putting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 4-6  show various cutaway views illustrating the internal workings of golf putting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     The various embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As discussed above, embodiments of the present invention relate to a golf aids and more particularly to a golf putting apparatus. 
     Referring now to the drawings  FIGS. 1-3 , The golf putting apparatus is designed to provide golfers with a realistic way to improve their putting skills. There will be one or more holes, in different positions, at the opposite end of the mat from where the golfer places the ball. Slope can be created between the ball and the holes by turning the knobs along the sides of the mat. A knob would be turned to the left to increase the slope and to the right to lower it, and the knobs are placed at intervals to adjust various sections along the line between the ball and the holes. Left and right-handed players will be able to use the same mat, and players may use this mat to practice on a flat surface, without creating any slope. A more expensive version of this mat would have a remote controller, so the amount and location of the slope can be created by pushing buttons on the controller, without having to adjust the knobs on the sides of the mat. Electric incline shocks installed within the mat would be responsive to the buttons on the controller. 
     The unique features of this product will provide the following benefits for golfers everywhere: A putting mat that provides a more realistic way to improve putting skills; The amount and location of the slope between the ball and the hole can be adjusted manually by turning the knobs on the sides of the mat or using an electronic remote controller; Can create a slope in any direction, so golfers may replicate the slope on a specific green that causes them problems or change the slope to vary their practice; and Will be an invaluable aid, helping golfers improve their golf scores by practicing their putting. 
     Referring now to the drawings  FIGS. 4-6 , each knobs is mechanically connected to one or more telescoping poles having disposed on an end thereof a surface for holding up the mat. As the knob is turned, the telescoping pole raises or lowers, thereby adjusting the slope of the mat. In a version using a remote, the telescoping pole is operating by a motor communicatively coupled to the remote device, such as by a wireless signal. The remote controller can be a customized device designed for use with the mat, or mobile phone applications programmed to communicate with the motor and send instructions thereto based on user inputs to the application interface components. 
     The telescoping pole may be operated manually. As shown in  FIGS. 4-6 , the telescoping pole may be operated by a worm attached to a worm wheel, which worm wheel is coupled to a rod or arm, which rod of arm is coupled to a control knob disposed on the exterior of the apparatus. When the knob is turned, the torque is transferred to the arm, and then to the worm wheel, which then causes the worm to extend or retract, thus operating the telescoping pole. The top of the telescoping pole includes a concave or convex pad which contacts the underside of the surface mat to raise it without sharp edges that could damage the mat or lower its useful life. 
     The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary and numerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention. Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application.