Patent Publication Number: US-2017361183-A1

Title: Golf tee recycling tool

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     The present disclosure relates to a cutting implement that is hand manipulable and is configured to encircle a rod-like structure, such as the shank of a golf tee. 
     2. Description of Related Prior Art 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,911,577 discloses a golf tee sharpener. The device is alleged to be a handy pocket device. The device has an inclined socket, and a vertical way containing a thumb actuated plunger provided with a sharp edge for safely and neatly shearing off the ground end portion of a used golf tee inserted in the socket. 
     The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure. 
     SUMMARY 
     A golf tee recycling tool can include a body, a first aperture, and at least one guillotine blade. The body can be centered on a longitudinal axis and extend along the longitudinal axis between a first end and a second end opposite to the first end along the longitudinal axis. The first aperture can be disposed at the first end and can be sized to slidably receive a shank of a golf tee and substantially maintain the shank centered on the longitudinal axis. The at least one guillotine blade can be disposed in the body and can have at least one edge extending transverse to the longitudinal axis. The at least one guillotine blade can be movable relative to the body between a first position spaced from the longitudinal axis and a second position in which the longitudinal axis passes through the at least one guillotine blade. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The detailed description set forth below references the following drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a golf tee recycling tool according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a partial cross-section of the golf tee recycling tool shown in  FIG. 1  taken along section lines  2 - 2  in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-section of the golf tee recycling tool shown in  FIG. 1  taken along section lines  3 - 3  in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a partial cross-section of the golf tee recycling tool shown in  FIG. 1  taken along section lines  4 - 4  in  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-section of the golf tee recycling tool shown in  FIG. 1  taken along section lines  5 - 5  in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present disclosure, as demonstrated by the exemplary embodiments described below, can provide a golf tee recycling tool for wooden or plastic tees. The golf tee recycling tool can resize tees by cutting broken or split ends off. The golf tee recycling tool can have built in sharpener to re-sharpen an end for reuse. The golf tee recycling tool will allow the golfer to reuse a portion of their tees and assist in keeping tee boxes free of broken tees. The golf tee recycling tool can be compact. The golf tee recycling tool can have two functions 1) cut tees to resized, usable length and 2) sharpen the blunt end. The golf tee recycling tool will provide the golfer the opportunity to reuse his golf tee or any other tee left on the tee box. This will assist in cleaning up used tees strewn about on tee boxes on golf courses and driving ranges. In recent years, 2.8 billion wood tees were used in the United States, corresponding to the consumption of 70,000 trees per year. The golf tee recycling tool could significantly reduce this number. 
     A golf tee recycling tool  10  can include a body  12 , a first aperture  14 , and at least one guillotine blade  16 . The body  12  can be centered on a longitudinal axis  18  and extend along the longitudinal axis  18  between a first end  20  and a second end  22  opposite to the first end  20  along the longitudinal axis  18 . The body  12  can be formed from plastic or non-ferrous metal, and can be substantially cylindrical. The length of the body  12  along the longitudinal axis  18  can be selected so that the golf tee recycling tool  10  can easily fit in a pocket of a golf bag, such as three to six inches. The diameter of the body  12  perpendicular to the longitudinal axis  18  can be also selected so that the golf tee recycling tool  10  can easily fit in a pocket of a golf bag, such as one-half to two inches. 
     The first aperture  14  can be disposed at the first end  20  and can be sized to slidably receive a shank  24  of a golf tee  26  (shown in phantom). The first aperture  14  can be sized to substantially maintain the shank  24  centered on the longitudinal axis  18 . In other words, the size of the first aperture  14  is slightly larger than the diameter of the shank  24  of a golf tee  26  so that the golf tee  26  can be received, but the shank  24  of the golf tee  26  is substantially maintained as centered on the longitudinal axis  18 . 
     The at least one guillotine blade  16  can be disposed in the body  12 . The at least one guillotine blade  16  can have at least one edge  28  extending transverse to the longitudinal axis  18 . The at least one guillotine blade  16  can be movable relative to the body  12  between a first position spaced from the longitudinal axis  18  and a second position in which the longitudinal axis  18  passes through the at least one guillotine blade  16 . The edge  28  of the at least one guillotine blade  16  extends perpendicular to the longitudinal axis  18 . 
     In the exemplary embodiment, the guillotine blade  16  includes the edge  28  and also a second edge  30 . The edges  28 ,  30  can be arranged transverse to one another, forming a v-shape. The exemplary edges  28 ,  30  can be integrally-formed with respect to one another. “Integrally-formed” refers to the fact that in the exemplary embodiment the edges  28 ,  30  are formed together rather than being formed separately and then subsequently joined. The term defines a structural feature since structures that are integrally-formed are structurally different than structures that are comprised of subcomponents formed separately and then subsequently joined. “Integral” means consisting or composed of parts that together constitute a whole and thus encompasses structures of more than one part wherein the parts are either integrally-formed or formed separately and then subsequently joined. 
     The exemplary edges  28 ,  30  are mirrored with respect to one another across a plane containing the longitudinal axis  18 . This plane would be a vertical plane in  FIG. 1 , containing the longitudinal axis  18  and the section lines  3 - 3  and  5 - 5 . The edges  28 ,  30  intersect one another at an intersection point  32  in the plane (referenced in  FIGS. 2 and 3 ). 
     The golf tee recycling tool  10  can also include a spring  34 . The spring  34  can bias the at least one guillotine blade  16  to the first position. When the at least one guillotine blade  16  is in the first position, the shank  24  can be inserted in the first aperture and extend past the guillotine blade  16  along the longitudinal axis  18 . The exemplary spring  34  can be c-shaped and partially encircle the longitudinal axis  18 . It is noted that the spring  34  has been added in phantom to  FIG. 3  to show its shape; the spring  34  would not be viewable based on the direction of section lines  3 - 3  and the location of the plane indicated by the section lines  3 - 3 . 
     The golf tee recycling tool  10  can also include a cover  36 . The cover  36  can be movably mounted on the body  12  and be in contact with the at least one guillotine blade  16 . A user can press the cover  36  and move the cover  36  against the biasing force of the spring  34 , moving the cover  36  relative to the body  12  and thereby moving the at least one guillotine blade  16  from the first position to the second position. 
     The golf tee recycling tool  10  can also include an anvil  38 . The anvil  38  can be disposed in the body  12  substantially immediately adjacent to the at least one guillotine blade  16  along the longitudinal axis  18 . The shank  24  of the golf tee  26  can be supported in substantial alignment with the longitudinal axis  18  by the anvil  38 . When the at least one guillotine blade  16  moves from the first position to the second position to cut the shank  24 , the anvil  38  can maintain the shank  24  in place during the cutting stroke. A common structure can define the anvil  38  and the first aperture  14 . 
     The golf tee recycling tool  10  can also include a second aperture  40 . The second aperture  40  can be disposed at the second end  22 . Like the first aperture  14 , the second aperture  40  can be sized to slidably receive the shank  24  of the golf tee  26 . The second aperture  40  can be centered on the longitudinal axis  18 . 
     The golf tee recycling tool  10  can also include at least one sharpening blade  42  disposed in the body  12 . The sharpening blade  42  can have at least one edge  44  extending both transverse to the longitudinal axis  18  and along the longitudinal axis  18 . In other words, the edge  44  extends along and toward the longitudinal axis  18 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . The edge  44  is transverse to the edges  28 ,  30  of the guillotine blade  16 . 
     The sharpening blade  42  can also include a second edge  46  arranged in mirrored relation to the edge  44 . Both of the edges  44  and  46  can extend toward one another along the longitudinal axis  18 , in the direction from the second end  22  toward the first end  20 . The edges  44 ,  46  can engage the shank  24  in the same way as the blade or blades of a pencil sharpener engage a pencil shank. 
     The golf tee recycling tool  10  can also include a cap  48 . The cap  48  can be releasibly engaged with the body  12  at the second end  22 . The cap  48  can define the second aperture  40 . The cap  48  can be engaged with the body  12  through complementary threads on the cap  48  and the body  12 . The anvil  38  can be spaced from the cap  48  along the longitudinal axis  18 . The spring  34  is positioned closer to the cap  48  than the guillotine blade  16  along the longitudinal axis  18 . The sharpening blade  42  can be mounted in the cap  48 ; the cap  48  can be molded around the blade  42 . 
     The golf tee recycling tool  10  can also include a gripping portion  50 . The gripping portion  50  can project away from an outer surface of the body  12 . The gripping portion  50  can be rubber or an elastomer and can be contoured to be easily graspable. The gripping portion  50  can be grasped from either direction, when the user is blunting the shank  24  with the guillotine blade  16  or sharpening the shank  24  with the sharpening blade  42 . 
     The body  12  defines a cavity  52  between the first end  20  and the second end  22 . The cavity  52  is substantially closed by the anvil  38  and the cap  48 . Material removed from the shank  24  of the golf tee  26  by the at least one guillotine blade  16  and material removed by the shank  24  of the golf tee  26  by the at least one sharpening blade  42  can be retained in the cavity  52 . The cap  48  can be easily unscrewed from the body  12  to release the material removed from shanks over time. 
     While the present disclosure has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the present disclosure without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this present disclosure, but that the present disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims. The right to claim elements and/or sub-combinations that are disclosed herein as other present disclosures in other patent documents is hereby unconditionally reserved.