Patent Publication Number: US-4927015-A

Title: Luminous golf balls and carrying case therefor

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention relates to a luminous golf ball cover impregnated with a material containing phosphorous or phosphorogens so that the golf ball can be seen at night; it also relates to a carrying case that bathes a plurality of the novel golf balls in light. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     Japanese Pat. No. 61-176369 discloses a golf ball impregnated with a light-accumulating pigment containing zinc and sulfur so that the balls may be used in night games. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,938,132 to Cunningham discloses a light-containing carrying case having a handle, a battery for power, and a reflector inside the case. A handle is used for carrying the case, and batteries power the light which is constructed and positioned to illuminate the interior of the case, including its contents, and a reflector plate is preferably provided at a location over the light to reflect the light and direct the light downwardly into the case. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,591,051 to Lowmann discloses a ball containing carrying case having a handle for carrying balls that are stacked up to five balls in height and five balls in width. The cover is transparent so that the balls are clearly visible from the outside of the case. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,779,725 to Gerber, 2,883,207 to Reich, 3,918,719 to Welch and 3,917,264 to Davidson et al. are also of interest. 
     DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION 
     A luminous substance is impregnated into the cover of a golf ball, golf tee, ball marker or other related items, at the time the item is manufactured. 
     A plurality of balls are carried in a carrying case having at least one battery powered fluorescent light bulb therein. A false bottom divides the carrying case into an upper chamber and a lower chamber. The balls and the light source are in the upper chamber whereas the battery pack for the light source is disposed in the lower chamber. Solar panels that generate electricity for the light source are mounted on the lid of the case. 
     The interior of the upper chamber is lined with a reflective foil to disperse light from the bulb or bulbs throughout the interior of the upper chamber of the carrying case. The balls are disposed in the upper chamber in a single layer to insure that each ball is bathed in light emitted from the light source. 
     The luminous substance is excited or activated when exposed to light. Thus, when a ball or other item is placed into the carrying case and the light source is activated, the luminous material is excited. 
     The luminous material of this invention is phosphorescent; it glows in the dark for extended periods of time after being removed from the carrying case or other source of light and is repeatedly rechargeable. 
     An important object of this invention is to provide luminescent golf balls and related items so that said items are visible under low light conditions. 
     Another important object is to provide carrying cases for luminescent items that include light sources so that said items are recharged when stored in said cases. 
     The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts that will be exemplified in the construction set forth hereinafter and the scope of the invention will be set forth in the claims. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a luminescent golf ball; 
     FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the golf ball of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view of a carrying case for golf balls; 
     FIG. 4 is a fragmented side elevational view of the novel carrying case; 
     FIG. 5 is a plan view of the case in its open configuration; and 
     FIG. 6 is a schematic wiring diagram of a solar unit that supplies power to the lamp. 
    
    
     Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings. 
     BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, it will there be seen that a golf ball treated with a luminous substance is denoted as a whole by the reference numeral 10. It should be noted at the outset, however, that other items such as golf tees and ball locators, for example, could also be treated with a luminous substance in accordance with the teachings and suggestions of this invention. 
     The luminous substance is mixed with a radiant pigment and the mixture is thereafter impregnated into the cover 12 of ball 10. The impregnation is performed at the time the ball cover is manufactured, i.e., the mixture of radiant pigment and luminous substance is placed into the mixture that produces the cover. 
     A minute amount of the pigment/luminous substance is required to produce the ball of FIGS. 1 and 2. It has been found that of the total constituents of the cover, only 0001-0.01 percent of said constituents need be the pigment/substance mixture to produce the luminescent golf balls of this invention. 
     FIG. 2 depicts a plurality of particles of the pigmented luminous substance. The particles are collectively denoted 14. 
     The preferred luminescent substance of this invention is a phosphorescent substance such as an inorganic zinc sulfide phosphor. Any material containing phosphorous or phosphorogens is suitable. 
     The preferred carrying case is shown in plan view in FIG. 5 and is denoted 16, generally. Although carrying case 16 is shown in octagonal form, having eight sides collectively denoted 18, it could be provided in different geometrical configurations. 
     Case 16 carries up to ten balls 12 as depicted in FIG. 5. The balls are not stacked atop one another but are disposed in a single layer. The floor 20 of case 16 that supports balls 12 is a false floor as will become clear as this description proceeds. 
     Case 16 includes a lid 22 and a base 24 that are hingedly connected to one another by hinge 26. An annular fluorescent light bulb 28 is secured to the inside wall 30 of lid 22 by clip 32. Pivotally mounted latch 27 on base 24 and latch base 27a on lid 18 hold the lid closed when desired. Switch 29 (FIG. 3) is an on-off switch for bulb 28 and for the solar unit as hereinafter described. 
     As shown in FIG. 3, a handle 34 is pivotally secured as illustrated or by other suitable fastening means to top exterior wall 36 of lid 22 to facilitate carrying of the case. 
     The golf balls 12 are supported on the above-mentioned false bottom 20 of the case; a battery pack 38 is mounted below the false floor 20 atop the true bottom wall 40 of the case 16. Thus, false bottom 20 divides the base 24 of carrying case 16 into an upper chamber 42 and a lower chamber 44 as shown. 
     Battery pack 38, having a plurality of batteries, collectively denoted 46 therein, is conductively coupled to a fluorescent light bulb 28. The light bulb 28 is positioned above the balls 12 as shown, in the upper chamber 42 of the case. Any other source of visible light, ultraviolet light or other suitable sources of electromagnetic radiation may be employed. Metal contacts 31, 33, best shown in FIG. 5, complete the electrical circuit between bulb 28 and batteries 46 so that when lid 22 is open, no current can flow to bulb 28. 
     The inside walls of the upper chamber 42 of case 16 are lined with a light-reflective foil denoted 48, generally. The lower chamber 44 is not so lined. The foil effectively bathes each ball 12 in light since the balls are not stacked atop one another. Moreover, by positioning the battery power pack in the lower chamber 44, there is nothing in the upper chamber 42 to obstruct the light from bulb 28, thereby insuring that each ball 12 is fully illuminated whenever the light source 28 is activated. 
     True bottom wall 40 is recessed with respect to the bottom of case 16 as shown in FIG. 3 to accommodate hinge 54 of battery pack access door 56 and door opening means 58. 
     To make the interior of case 16 substantially light tight, lid 22 and base 24 have complementally formed edges that interlock with one another. For example, lid 22 may be provided with a downwardly depending flange 50 at its radially outermost edge as depicted in FIGS. 3 &amp; 5, and base 24 may be provided with an upwardly projecting flange 52 that mates therewith when the lid is closed as clearly shown in FIG. 3. 
     FIG. 4 further depicts the hinged interconnection between base 24 and lid 22 and shows the closed position of latch 27 and its base 27a as well. 
     FIG. 6 shows a solar panel unit 54 that is conductively coupled to lamp 28; unit 54 is mounted on top of lid 22. Switch 29 is a double throw switch so that power can be drawn from battery pack 38 or solar unit 54 at the election of the user. 
     A commercial embodiment of the present invention employs Spot-Lite (trademark) phosphorescent materials available from Hanovia Corporation of Newark, N.J., a subsidiary of Canrad Inc. Specifically, the preferred phosphorescent material is Hanover&#39;s Glow-in-the-Dark (Glo) pigment Series 1000. 
     When one or more of the balls 12 are removed from case 16, it will glow brightly in the dark for an extended period of time. The intensity of the glow will diminish with time, but the luminescence will still be detectable by dark-adapted eyes for many hours thereafter. 
     It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, and those made apparent from the foregoing description, are efficiently attained and since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matters contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. 
     It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween. 
     Now that the invention has been described,