Patent Publication Number: US-6669069-B2

Title: Shoulder strap assembly for golf bags

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to golf bags and, in particular, to a shoulder strap assembly for golf bags. 
     It is recognized that golf bags usually have either a single shoulder strap for supporting the golf bag on one shoulder or a dual shoulder strap arrangement for supporting the golf bag on both shoulders. Whenever golf bags are provided with a dual shoulder strap arrangement, the golfer must grasp a particular shoulder strap first whenever the golf bag is being lifted into place on his or her shoulders. If the golfer should happen to grasp the wrong shoulder strap first, the golf bag cannot be lifted onto the golfer&#39;s shoulders and carried in the manner intended. This presents a problem especially for new users of dual shoulder strap arrangements in that they often grasp the wrong shoulder strap first and then become discouraged enough to revert to carrying the golf bag on only one shoulder thus depriving themselves of the benefits of spreading the load evenly on both shoulders. Even golfers that have been using dual shoulder strap arrangements for some time become frustrated when they inadvertently grasp the wrong shoulder strap. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a golf bag including a body and a shoulder strap assembly. The body has a generally tubular configuration and a top end, and the shoulder strap assembly includes a first shoulder strap having an upper end attached to the body at a first location proximate the top end thereof and a lower end. Cooperating interconnecting elements formed on the body and on the first shoulder strap attach the lower end of the first shoulder strap to the body at a second location which is spaced from the top end thereof. Stiffener means in the lower end of the first shoulder strap hold an upper portion of the first shoulder strap in a standing position where it extends generally laterally from the body. 
     The shoulder strap assembly may include a second shoulder strap having an upper end thereof attached to the body at a third location proximate the top end thereof and a lower end attached to the body at a fourth location which is spaced from the top end thereof. The cooperating interconnecting elements may include a pocket formed on the body for receiving the lower end of the first shoulder strap, and attachment means on the body and on the first shoulder strap for holding the lower end of the first shoulder strap in the pocket. The stiffener means may be an elongated plate mounted in the lower end of the first shoulder strap. This plate preferably is longitudinally flexible but laterally rigid so that it will hold a lower portion of the first shoulder strap in a substantially juxtaposed position relative to the body. The upper portion of the first shoulder strap is formed into a loop by the plate and is held by the plate in the standing position so that the first shoulder strap is easily identified. Therefore, a golfer would not need to bend over to grasp the first shoulder strap since the upper portion thereof will extend to a height near the golfer&#39;s waist line. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a golf bag having a shoulder strap assembly in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the shoulder strap assembly shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the lines  3 — 3  in FIG. 2; and 
     FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the lines  4 — 4  in FIG.  3 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a golf bag which is indicated generally by the reference numeral  10 . The golf bag  10  includes a body  12  of generally tubular configuration having top and bottom ends  14  and  16 , respectively, which are attached such as by sewing to opposite ends of a fabric sleeve  18 . The spacing between the top and bottom ends  14 ,  16  and the generally tubular configuration of the body  12  may be established and maintained by methods which are well known in the art. One method employs one or more elongated dowels (not shown) which are formed either of wood or fiber glass and extend between the molded top and bottom ends  14 ,  16  and are contained within channels sewn inside the fabric sleeve  18 . Another method of forming the body  12  is to utilize an elongated tubular sleeve (not shown) formed of a synthetic resin which is positioned within the fabric sleeve  18  instead of the dowels. In either case, the body  12  has a spinal axis  20 , which as seen in FIG. 2, extends longitudinally thereof. 
     The golf bag  10  may also include pockets  22  for carrying accessories used in playing golf such as golf balls, tees and the like, and an extensible stand  24  such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,235 to John A. Solheim. 
     In accordance with the present invention, the golf bag  10  is provided with a dual shoulder strap assembly  26  having a first shoulder strap  28  and a second shoulder strap  30 . The first shoulder strap  28  is especially configured so that an upper portion  28   a  thereof is held in a standing position wherein it extends generally laterally relative to the body  12  thereby making it easier for a golfer to identify which of the shoulder straps  28 ,  30  should be grasped first when preparing to lift the golf bag  10  and carry it. 
     The dual shoulder strap assembly  26  is preferably connected to the body  12  in a manner similar to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,954,255 to Jay N. Beebe et al. Referring to FIG. 2, the first shoulder strap  28  has an upper end  32  attached to the body  12  at a first location  34  which is proximate the top end  14  thereof and is laterally off-set relative to the spinal axis  20  of the body  12 . The first shoulder strap  28  has a lower end  36  which is coupled to the body  12  by cooperating interconnecting elements which will be described in detail below. Those cooperating interconnecting elements couple the lower end  36  of the first shoulder strap  28  to a second location  40  which is spaced from the body top end  14  and is intermediate the top and bottom ends  14 ,  16  of the body  12 . The second location  40  is laterally off-set relative to the spinal axis  20  on the side thereof which is opposite the first location  34  so that the shoulder strap  28  crosses the spinal axis  20 . The second shoulder strap  30  has an upper end  42  which is attached to the body  12  at a third location  44  which is proximate the top end  14  thereof and is laterally off-set relative to the spinal axis  20  of the body  12  on the side thereof which is opposite the first location  34 . The shoulder strap  30  has a lower end  46  which is attached to the body  12  at a fourth location  48  which is spaced from the top end  14  and intermediate the top and bottom ends  14 ,  16  of the body  12 . The fourth location  48  is laterally off-set relative to the spinal axis  20  on the side thereof which is opposite the second location  40  so that the second shoulder strap  30  crosses the spinal axis  20  in the same manner as the first shoulder strap  28  but in the opposite direction. Thus, the two shoulder straps  28 ,  30  will form an X-shaped pattern and cross each other in approximately the middle of the golfer&#39;s back when the golf bag  10  is being supported on the golfer&#39;s shoulders. 
     The first shoulder strap  28  includes an elongated pad  50  which is formed of foam rubber with a fabric cover, and the upper end  32  thereof may be coupled to the body  12  in a conventional manner such as by a webbing strip and a buckle  52 . In addition to coupling the upper end  32  of the first shoulder strap  28  to the body  12 , the webbing strip and the buckle  52  allow the overall length of the shoulder strap  28  to be adjusted to suit the particular preferences of the golfer. 
     The second shoulder strap  30  also includes an elongated pad  54 , and the upper and lower ends  42 ,  46  thereof may be coupled to the body  12  in any suitable manner. The upper end  42  of the second shoulder strap  30  is shown as being coupled to the body  12  by a single webbing strip  56 , and the lower end  46  thereof is seen as being coupled to the body  12  by means of a webbing strip and buckle assembly  58 . Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the cooperating interconnecting elements that couple the lower end  36  of the first shoulder strap  28  to the body  12  at the second location  40  are shown. The lower end of  36  of the first shoulder strap  28  is removably received in a pocket  60  that is provided on the body  12  at the second location  40 . The pocket  60  defines an elongated cavity  62  which opens toward the top end  14  of the body  12 . When the tubular configuration of the body  12  is formed and maintained by one or more elongated dowels (not shown), the fabric sleeve  18  is reinforced in the area of the pocket  60  by a panel  64  which is attached such as by being sewn on the inner surface of the fabric sleeve  18 . When the body  12  is formed by the method described above wherein an elongated tubular sleeve (not shown) is used instead of the dowels, the panel  64  will not be needed. The pocket  60  is attached to the plate  64 , or to the elongated tubular sleeve (not shown) such as by sewing. In this manner, the cavity  62  in the pocket  60  will be held in a generally parallel relationship to the longitudinal dimension of the body  12  and the spinal axis  20  thereof. The opening  60   a  to the pocket  60  is reinforced by a suitable webbing strip  66  which overlays the opening  60   a  to prevent distortion of the opening  60   a . The lower end  36  of the first shoulder strap  28  is received in the cavity  62  in the pocket  60  and may be slidably positioned therein so that the overall length of the first shoulder strap  28  may be adjusted. This length adjustment feature provided at the lower end  36  of the first shoulder strap  28  may be used independently or in conjunction with the length adjustment feature provided by the webbing and buckle  52  at the upper end  32  of the shoulder strap  28  or in place thereof. The lower end  36  of the shoulder strap  28  is retained in the pocket  60  by a webbing strip  68  which extends from the pocket  60  and is engaged by a buckle  70  provided on the lower end  36  thereof of the shoulder strap  28 . 
     Stiffener means such as an elongated plate  72  is provided within the lower end  36  of the first shoulder strap  28 . The plate  72  may be formed of a suitable synthetic resin or of a suitable metal, but in either case, it must be longitudinally flexible but laterally rigid, and it must be resilient enough so that it will return from a longitudinally flexed state to a linearly extending normal state. When the first shoulder strap  28  is in its relaxed state, that is the golf bag  10  is not being lifted or carried on the shoulders of a golfer, the plate  72  will be in its linearly extending normal state which holds a lower portion  28   b  of the shoulder strap  28  in a substantially juxtaposed position relative to the body  12 . Since the overall length of the shoulder strap  28  is greater than the distance measured between the first and second locations  34 ,  40 , the upper portion  28   a  of the shoulder strap  28  will be formed into a loop by the plate  72  and is then held by the plate  72  in a standing position where it extends generally laterally from the body  12 . It will be understood that the golfer would not need to bend over to grasp the first shoulder strap  28  since the upper portion  28   a  thereof will extend to a height near the golfer&#39;s waist line. 
     Thus, the shoulder strap  28  is easily identified by the golfer who, after a very brief learning period, will instinctively grasp the shoulder strap  28  first when lifting the golf bag  10  into position on his or her shoulders. When the golf bag  10  is lifted and carried, the plate  72  will be moved from its linearly extending normal state into a longitudinally flexed state, as shown in dashed lines in FIG. 3, which provides the shoulder strap  28  with enough flexibility for comfortable positioning on the golfer&#39;s shoulders.