Abstract:
A golf cap having a ball marker proposed in the present invention includes: a ball marker which has a first coupling portion having one surface formed with a plurality of male members, e.g., hooks, or female members, e.g., loops, and a second coupling portion which corresponds to the first coupling portion, and has a plurality of female members when one surface of the first coupling portion has a plurality of male members, or has a plurality of male members when the one surface of the first coupling portion has a plurality of female members, so that the ball marker is attached to and detached from the second coupling portion, thereby improving convenience when carrying and using the ball marker, and improving detachable function between the ball marker and the cap in use.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 61/864,284 filed in the USPTO on Aug. 9, 2013, and priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2013-0094986, filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Aug. 9, 2013, and priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2014-0101109, filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Aug. 6, 2014, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a golf cap having a ball marker, and more particularly, to a golf cap having a ball marker capable of improving convenience when carrying and using the ball marker, improving detachable function between the ball marker and the cap in use, and improving productivity. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Description of the Related Art 
       [0003]    In general, when playing a golf game, a player picks up a golf ball on the green in order not to hinder other players from playing his/her turn, and after everyone has played his/her turn, the player places the ball again at the position where the ball was, and continues to play the game. 
         [0004]    Most players carry and use a coin-shaped ball marker in order to clearly mark the position at which his/her ball was positioned. 
         [0005]    However, the ball marker, being small in size and thickness is mixed up with other items such as a tee and a golf ball, for example, when the player carries the ball marker in his/her pocket. As a result, it is not easy for the player to draw the ball marker from the pocket. Further, when the player wears a glove on his/her hand, it is difficult to put the hand into the pocket and take the hand out of the pocket, such that it is inconvenient to use the ball marker, and there is a risk that the ball marker is damaged and lost. 
         [0006]    In order to solve the aforementioned problem, there has been proposed a method of attaching a permanent magnet to a clip-type fixing member which may be fastened to an edge of clothes or an edge of a visor portion of a cap, and applying a ball marker made of materials that the magnetic force of the fixing member attracts. 
         [0007]    However, the method has drawbacks. The clip-type fixing member needs to be separately manufactured, and holding power of the clip depends on thickness of clothes or the visor portion of the cap. When the pressure to the elastic body mounts, the clip-type fixing member is easily detached from the position of the clothes or the visor portion of the cap to which the fixing member was originally fastened, and as a result, the ball marker is lost. 
         [0008]    Meanwhile, there has been proposed a method of having a ball marker fixing member fitted in a hole formed on the visor portion of the cap. 
         [0009]    However, the aforementioned method has drawbacks in that the cap is artificially and inevitably damaged because the hole needs to be formed on the visor portion or the like of the cap, and an aesthetic appearance of the cap deteriorates even if the damage is repaired. 
         [0010]    In addition, it may inconvenience the wearer of the cap because a weight of the cap is concentrated on the visor portion, and the cap may be easily pulled off the head because the center of gravity is at a front side of the wearer. 
         [0011]    The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0012]    The present invention has been made in an effort to provide a golf cap having a ball marker capable of improving convenience when carrying and using the ball marker, improving detachable functionality between the ball marker and the cap in use, and improving productivity. 
         [0013]    In addition, the present invention has been made in an effort to provide a golf cap having a ball marker capable of improving productivity by improving performance of a technical configuration and simplifying a manufacturing process. 
         [0014]    An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a golf cap having a ball marker, including: a ball marker which has a first coupling portion having one surface formed with a plurality of male members, e.g., hooks, or female members, e.g., loops, and a second coupling portion which corresponds to the first coupling portion, and has a plurality of female members when one surface of the first coupling portion has a plurality of male members, or has a plurality of male members when the one surface of the first coupling portion has a plurality of female members, so that the ball marker is attached to and detached from the second coupling portion. 
         [0015]    According to the golf cap having the ball marker according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the ball marker may be easily carried on the cap because the ball marker has a small size and a small thickness, and it is possible to reduce a risk of loss because the ball marker may be separated from the cap to be used, and coupled to the cap again to be carried. 
         [0016]    In addition, according to the golf cap having the ball marker according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is no need to manufacture a fixing member for a ball marker with additional costs and efforts. Also, there is no concern about a risk of losing the ball marker due to deterioration of the ball marker. 
         [0017]    Moreover, according to the golf cap having the ball marker according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, it is not necessary to form a fixing member for a ball marker on a cap while damaging the cap itself or affecting an overall aesthetic appearance of the cap, and there is a technical effect of improving convenience due to the fixing member for a ball marker when wearing the cap. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0018]      FIG. 1  is a view schematically illustrating a golf cap having a ball marker according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0019]      FIG. 2  is a view schematically illustrating a technical configuration of the ball marker used on the golf cap having the ball marker according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0020]      FIG. 3  is a view illustrating a first exemplary embodiment of the ball marker of the golf cap having the ball marker according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0021]      FIG. 4  is a view illustrating a second exemplary embodiment of the ball marker of the golf cap having the ball marker according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0022]      FIG. 5  is a view illustrating a third exemplary embodiment of the ball marker of the golf cap having the ball marker according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0023]      FIG. 6  is a view illustrating a fourth exemplary embodiment of the ball marker of the golf cap having the ball marker according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0024]      FIG. 7  is a view illustrating a fifth exemplary embodiment of the ball marker of the golf cap having the ball marker according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0025]      FIG. 8  is a view illustrating a sixth exemplary embodiment of the ball marker of the golf cap having the ball marker according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0026]      FIG. 9  is a view illustrating a seventh exemplary embodiment of the ball marker of the golf cap having the ball marker according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0027]      FIG. 10  is a view illustrating an eighth exemplary embodiment of the ball marker of the golf cap having the ball marker according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0028]      FIG. 11  is a view illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a second coupling portion of the golf cap having the ball marker according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0029]      FIG. 12  is a view illustrating an example of needlework for the second coupling portion of the golf cap having the ball marker according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0030]      FIG. 13  is a view illustrating an example of needlework for the second coupling portion of the golf cap having the ball marker according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0031]    Hereinafter, a technical configuration of a golf cap having a ball marker according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
         [0032]    First, as illustrated in  FIGS. 1 to 13 , a golf cap  20  having a ball marker according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a ball marker  10  which has a first coupling portion  11  having one surface formed with a plurality of male members, e.g., hooks, or female members, e.g., loops, and a second coupling portion  21  which corresponds to the first coupling portion  11 , and has a plurality of female members in a case in which the first coupling portion  11  has a plurality of male members, or has a plurality of male members in a case in which the first coupling portion  11  has a plurality of female members, so that the ball marker  10  may be attached to and detached from the second coupling portion  21 . 
         [0033]    The first coupling portion  11 , which has one surface formed with a plurality of male members or female members as described above, is formed on a main body  12  of the ball marker  10 , and may include a decorative surface  12   a  that is formed on the other surface so as to display various types of logos or symbols. 
         [0034]    As the first coupling portion  11  of the ball marker  10  and the second coupling portion  21  of the cap  20 , a female member material or a male member material may be used, but one of the female member or the male member may be made of a plastic material having a predetermined degree or more of elasticity so that coupling strength does not deteriorates despite the repeated attachment and detachment. 
         [0035]    In order to have a predetermined degree or more of elasticity, as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , a male member  11   a  or a female member  21   a  formed on the first coupling portion  11  and the second coupling portion  21  may have a predetermined shape, and may be disposed regularly. 
         [0036]    In addition, by the aforementioned configuration, it is possible to prevent dust or sand from being caught in the first coupling portion  11  or the second coupling portion  12  and contaminating the first coupling portion  11  or the second coupling portion  12 , and dust or sand may be easily cleaned out and removed even in a case in which the dust or sand is attached to the first coupling portion  11  or the second coupling portion  12 . 
         [0037]    For example, the male members  11   a  are regularly formed to have columns  11   aa  which protrude at predetermined intervals  11   b,  and heads  11   ab  which are attached to free ends of the columns  11   aa.  The female members  21   a  of the second coupling portion  21  are formed to have loops  21   aa  so that the heads  11   ab  of the male members  11   a  may be fastened to the loops  21   aa  of the female members  21   a.    
         [0038]    The male member  11   a  may have a hook shape, and the female member  21   a  may have a loop shape. 
         [0039]    The main body  12  of the ball marker  10  may be made of at least one of metal, wood, stone, synthetic resin, and fibrous materials. A weight of the main body  12  may be more than about 5 g, and a thickness of the main body  12  may be about 5 mm so that the ball marker  10  may not be blown away by wind while not hindering the golf game when the ball marker  10  is placed on the ground. A thickness of the first coupling portion  11  may not be 30% or more of a thickness of the main body  12 . 
         [0040]    The first coupling portion  11  may be configured by a sheet made of a synthetic resin material with which the female members or the male members are injection molded, or by a synthetic resin material, which is woven as a plurality of female members or male members, e.g., hooks. 
         [0041]    As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the first coupling portion  11  may be attached to one surface of the main body  12  of the ball marker  10  by applying an adhesive having an excellent adhesive property onto the one surface or forming an adhesion portion  13  that is formed in the form of a double-sided adhesive sheet. 
         [0042]    Meanwhile, in a case in which the first coupling portion  11  is coupled to the one surface of the main body  12  of the ball marker  10  using the adhesion portion  13 , the first coupling portion  11  may be abraded and moved away when time has passed or after the first coupling portion  11  is frequently touched by hand. 
         [0043]    Accordingly, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the first coupling portion  11  may be securely attached to the one surface of the main body  12  of the ball marker  10  by an auxiliary coupling means  14  in addition to the adhesion portion  13 . 
         [0044]    The auxiliary coupling means  14  may be a rivet portion that is disposed at a center of the ball marker  10 , and a height of the auxiliary coupling means  14  may be smaller than that of the female member or male member  11   a  of the first coupling portion  11  so as not to hinder the engagement with the second coupling portion  21  of the cap  20 . 
         [0045]    As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the first coupling portion  11  is coupled to the one surface of the main body  12  of the ball marker  10  using the adhesion portion  13 , and a rim portion  15  may be further formed to securely fix external circumferential portions of the main body  12  and the first coupling portion  11  in order to prevent the first coupling portion  11  from being separated from an external circumferential portion of the ball marker  10  which is mainly used when the ball marker  10  is grasped by hand or thrown to the ground. 
         [0046]    The rim portion  15  may be simply formed by performing a clasping process of metal. 
         [0047]    In a case in which the first coupling portion  11  is integrated with the one surface of the main body  12  of the ball marker  10  by the clasping method, a plurality of clip types may be used for the clasping between the main body  12  and the first coupling portion  11 . 
         [0048]    As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the first coupling portion  11  is coupled to the one surface of the main body  12  of the ball marker  10  using the adhesion portion  13 , and a sewing portion  16  may be formed to sew and couple the main body  12  and the first coupling portion  11  in order to prevent the first coupling portion  11  from being separated from an external circumferential portion of the ball marker  10  which is mainly used when the ball marker  10  is grasped by hand or thrown to the ground. 
         [0049]    As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the first coupling portion  11  is coupled to the one surface of the main body  12  of the ball marker  10  using the adhesion portion  13 , and a wing end  12   b  is further provided at an edge end along the one surface of the main body  12  in order to prevent the first coupling portion  11  from being easily separated when the ball marker is mainly used to be grasped by hand or thrown to the ground, and the wing end  12   b  may be bent to surround and fix the external circumferential portion of the first coupling portion  11 . 
         [0050]    As illustrated in  FIG. 7 , the ball marker  10  includes a magnetic attaching and detaching means  16  so that the first coupling portion  11  may be attached to and detached from the one surface of the main body  12 , and as a result, the first coupling portion  11  may be replaced when the first coupling portion  11  is abraded or degraded. 
         [0051]    As illustrated in  FIG. 7 , the magnetic attaching and detaching means  16  may include a magnetic synthetic resin portion  16   a  which is fitted into a recess  12   c  formed in the one surface of the main body  12 , and a magnetic synthetic resin portion  16   b  which is attached to one surface of the first coupling portion  11 . 
         [0052]    Like a magnetic, the magnetic synthetic resin portions  16   a  and  16   b  have magnetism that does not give electromagnetic damage to electronics even though a user carries the magnetic synthetic resin portions, and may be coupled to each other. Since the magnetic synthetic resin portions  16   a  and  16   b  have plasticity, the magnetic synthetic resin portions  16   a  and  16   b  may provide various shapes, and may be formed in a shape corresponding to the recess  12   c  formed in the main body  12  so as to provide a flat surface. 
         [0053]    As illustrated in  FIG. 8 , the ball marker  10  may include a bolt type attaching and detaching means  17  which enables the first coupling portion  11  to be attached to and detached from the one surface of the main body  12 . 
         [0054]    The bolt type attaching and detaching means  17  may include a first spiral portion  17   a  which is formed in a circumferential direction of the recess  12   c  formed in the one surface of the main body  12 , a solid body  17   b  which is coupled to one surface of the first coupling portion  11  using the adhesion portion  13  and has a shape corresponding to the recess  12   c,  and a second spiral portion  17   c  which is formed in a circumferential direction of the solid body  17   b  and may be coupled to the first spiral portion  17   a.    
         [0055]    The body  17   b  and the second spiral portion  17   c  form a rigid bolt portion, and may be fastened, attached and detached to/from the first spiral portion  17   a  in the recess  12   c  of the main body  12  by being turned with respect to the first spiral portion  17   a.    
         [0056]    Therefore, the first coupling portion  11  may be attached to and detached from the main body  12  while maintaining the thickness and the weight of the ball marker  10  as described above, and the main body  12  that represents logos or marks can be used interchangeably according to the user&#39;s taste. 
         [0057]    As illustrated in  FIG. 9 , the ball marker  10  may include a fastener type attaching and detaching means  18  so that the first coupling portion  11  may be attached to and detached from the one surface of the main body  12 . 
         [0058]    The fastener type attaching and detaching means  18  may include a female fastener  18   a  which is concavely formed along an edge of the recess  12   c  formed in the one surface of the main body  12 , and a male fastener  18   c  which is formed to protrude in the depth direction of recess  12   c  to be correspondingly coupled to the female fastener  18   a  on one side of the cover  18   b,  which covers the recess  12   c  of the main body  12 . 
         [0059]    The cover  18   b  has one surface corresponding to one surface of the main body  12  to prevent the recess  12   c  from being exposed to the outside and the other surface coupled with the first coupling portion  11  using the adhesion portion  13 . 
         [0060]    Therefore, as illustrated in  FIG. 9 , the main body  12  representing logos or marks can be used interchangeably to the user&#39;s taste, and the ball maker  10  can be easily coupled with the second coupling portion  21  using the first coupling portion  11 . 
         [0061]    As illustrated in  FIG. 10 , in the ball marker  10 , the first coupling portion  11  is coupled to the one surface of the main body  12  using the adhesion portion  13 , and the first coupling portion  11  may be securely coupled using an auxiliary coupling portion  19  that is manufactured by casting method using a synthetic resin material having elasticity such as natural rubber, polyurethane, or PVC so as to surround a rim portion  12   d  of the main body  12 . 
         [0062]    The auxiliary coupling portion  19  may include a bottom portion  19   a  which abuts on one surface of the main body  12  and a wall portion  19   b  which is taperingly formed to be thicker around the bottom portion  19   a  and to surround an edge of the main body  12 . The auxiliary coupling portion  19  may be tightly and elastically coupled with an edge portion  12   c  of the main body  12 . 
         [0063]    The first coupling portion  11  is inserted into a casting mold in a desired shape and casted when the auxiliary coupling portion  19  is manufactured by casting method, and as a result, the first coupling portion  11  may be formed in one body without performing a separate adhesion process. 
         [0064]    As illustrated in  FIG. 11 , the second coupling portion  21  of the cap  20  may be applied to at least one of an upper surface or a lower surface of a visor portion  22  and a crown portion  23  that covers the head. In this case, the second coupling portion  21  may be applied to the entire portion or a part of a corresponding portion of the upper surface or the lower surface of the visor portion  22  or the crown portion  23 . 
         [0065]    As illustrated in  FIG. 12 , regarding the second coupling portion  21 , a part of an outer fabric  20   a  of the cap  20  is removed, a female member fabric panel or male member fabric panel  21   a  having the female member or male member having the same height is disposed, and the outer fabric  20   a  and the female member fabric panel or male member fabric panel  21   a  are connected using a needlework portion  24  so that a connection portion between the outer fabric  20   a  and the female member fabric panel or male member fabric panel  21   a  may not be exposed. 
         [0066]    In addition, as illustrated in  FIG. 13 , regarding the second coupling portion  21 , a part of an outer fabric  20   a  of the cap  20  is removed, a female member fabric panel or male member fabric panel  21   a  having the female member or male member having the same height is disposed so as to face each other, and an end of the outer fabric  20   a  of the cap  20  and an end of the female member fabric panel or male member fabric panel  21   a  are folded inward, sewed, and then connected and finished using a sewing thread  25 . 
         [0067]    The specific exemplary embodiment has been described above for helping the understanding of the golf cap having the ball marker according to the present invention, but it should be understood that the technical spirit of the present invention is not limited by the specific exemplary embodiment, and possible alterations or modifications, which may be sufficiently made from the claims and the detailed description by those skilled in the technical field to which the present invention pertains, fall within the scope of the present invention. 
       DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS  
       [0068]      
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 10: Ball marker 
                 11: First coupling portion 
               
               
                   
                 11a: Female member or male  
                 12: Main body 
               
               
                   
                 member 
                   
               
               
                   
                 12a: Decorative surface 
                 12b: Wing end 
               
               
                   
                 13: Adhesive layer 
                 14: Rivet portion 
               
               
                   
                 20: Cap 
                 20a: Outer fabric 
               
               
                   
                 21: Second coupling portion 
                 21a: Female member or male  
               
               
                   
                   
                 member 
               
               
                   
                 22: Visor portion 
                 23: Crown portion 
               
               
                   
                 24: Needlework portion 
                 25: Sewing thread 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0069]    Thus, the present invention is well adapted to carry out the objectives and attain the ends and advantages mentioned above as well as those inherent therein. While presently preferred embodiments have been described for purposes of this disclosure, numerous changes and modifications will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Such changes and modifications are encompassed within the spirit of this invention as defined by the claims.