Abstract:
A golf club carrier includes a central support that forms one of three legs that support the carrier when in use. The two other legs are provided by bending a flexible and resilient rod at its mid-point and pivotally interconnecting the rod at that mid-point to an upper end of the central support. Three point stability is provided when the legs are pivoted relative to the central support. A detent member mounted to the central support captures the legs to position them in a storage position. The inherent bias of the rod urges the legs to resume a divergent relation to one another when they are released from the detent member. A top ring and a cup are secured to a first side of the central support and support at least seven clubs. Auxiliary devices are mounted to a second side of the central support to avoid interference.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates, generally, to devices for carrying golf clubs. More particularly, it relates to a light-in-weight golf club-carrying device that minimizes materials and substantially reduces its weight relative to conventional golf bags. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Conventional golf bags can hold many clubs but the bags are heavy and bulky. Most golfers do not care about the weight and bulk of conventional golf bags, however, because they ride in golf carts between holes. 
     Those who walk the course best enjoy the health benefits of golf, however. For those golfers, the conventional golf bag is too heavy. Most golfers seldom use all of the clubs in the bag, so the effort required to carry a conventional bag is wasted. Instead, most golfers have five or six or possibly seven favorite clubs that they use frequently to the substantial exclusion of other clubs. 
     What is needed, then, is a light-in-weight device for carrying five to seven golf clubs. The needed device should weigh as little as possible to encourage more golfers to walk during the game. 
     Golf bags of conventional construction fall over easily. Ground-penetrating spikes attachable to golf bags have been developed, but spikes are difficult or impossible to drive into the ground in hard pan and rocky terrain. Moreover, spikes don&#39;t hold well in uneven, soft, sandy, or wet terrain. 
     Therefore, there exists a need for a golf club carrier that is supported in such a way that it may be positioned in substantially upstanding position in all soil conditions and on uneven terrain. 
     Moreover, heavy golf club bags of conventional construction can damage a green. Thus, there is a need for a golf club carrying device that is light-in-weight so that it may be placed on a green without marking or damaging the green. 
     However, in view of the prior art considered as a whole at the time the present invention was made, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill in the pertinent art how the identified needs could be fulfilled. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     The long-standing but heretofore unfulfilled need for a golf club carrier of light-in-weight construction having a versatile stand means is now met by a new, useful, and nonobvious invention. The novel golf club carrier includes a central support member of elongate, straight, and rigid construction. A leg means having a bend formed mid-length thereof is formed of a flexible and resilient material such as a metal or a high-impact plastic. A pair of leg members, formed integrally with the bend, extend from opposite ends of the bend in diverging relation to one another when the leg means is in repose. A pivotal connection means pivotally connects the leg means to said central support member near a first, upper end of the central support member. The pivotal connection means that pivotally connects the leg means to the central support member is positioned at the bight of the bend formed in the leg means. The pivotal connection means is secured in position by a segment of adhesive-lined, heat shrink tubing. 
     A detent means is mounted in perpendicular relation to the central support member and is adapted to hold the leg members of the pair of leg members in substantially parallel relation to one another. The leg members are inherently biased to diverge from one another when retained within the detent means. 
     Each leg member of the pair of leg members has a length approximately equal to a length of the central support member. Accordingly, a three point support or tripod means is formed by a second, lower end of the central support member and by respective free ends of the leg members when said leg members are in repose and when said leg members are at least slightly pivoted with respect to the central support member. 
     An important object of this invention is to provide a golf club holder capable of carrying seven or fewer clubs. 
     Another important object is to provide such golf club holder in a construction that is very light-in-weight to encourage more golfers to walk during a round of golf. 
     Still another object is to provide a golf club carrying structure having a tripod stand with an infinite plurality of positions of adjustment. 
     Another object is to provide a versatile stand means that works in all soil and terrain conditions encountered in golf courses. 
     These and other important objects, advantages, and features of the invention will become clear as this description proceeds. 
     The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts that will be exemplified in the description set forth hereinafter and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF 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 a front elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the invention when the stand means is in its stored configuration; 
     FIG. 1A is a sectional view taken along line  1 A— 1 A in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 2 is a front elevational view similar to the view of FIG. 1 but with the stand means depicted in its operative, deployed configuration; 
     FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the invention when in its FIG. 1 configuration; 
     FIG. 4 is a side elevational view thereof when in its FIG. 1 configuration; 
     FIG. 5 is a side elevational view when the stand means is deployed in a first pivotal relation to the central support member; 
     FIG. 6 is a side elevational view when the stand means is deployed in a second (preferred) pivotal relation to the central support member; and 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment when the stand means is operatively deployed. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to the front elevational view of FIG. 1, it will there be seen that the reference numeral  10  denotes an illustrative embodiment of the invention as a whole. 
     Novel light weight golf club carrier  10 , to be known commercially as the Golf-D&#39;Lite™, has a weight of less than two and one-half pounds. 
     A central rigid support member  12  of straight configuration, preferably formed of an aluminum channel (see FIG. 1A) for purposes of weight, strength, corrosion resistance, durability, and aesthetics, provides one of the three legs that supports unit  10  when it is in use. 
     The second and third legs of carrier  10  are provided by an elongate rod  14  that is bent mid-length thereof as may best be understood in connection with FIGS. 2 and 3. Elongate rod  14  is made of a flexible and resilient light-in-weight metal, plastic, or other suitable material. 
     As perhaps best understood in connection with FIG. 3, rod  14  is of unitary construction. Thus, it should be understood that legs  16  and  18  are formed integrally with one another, and that said legs  16  and  18 , together with central support member  12 , provide the three point support for the novel carrier. 
     FIG. 2 depicts rod  14  when in repose and FIG. 1 depicts rod  14  when it is retained by detent means  20 . When rod  14  is not retained by detent means  20 , the inherent bias of rod  14  positions legs  16  and  18  in the FIG. 2 position, i.e., when no external forces are applied to rod  14 , it assumes the FIG. 2 position where legs  16  and  18  are positioned in diverging relation to one another. 
     When legs  16  and  18  are manually converged toward one another, they may be captured by detent means  20  in the manner depicted in FIGS. 1 (front view) and  3  (rear view). When so captured, and as best understood in connection with FIG. 4, legs  16  and  18  do not cooperate with central support member  12  to hold carrier  10  upright. 
     As best understood in connection with FIGS. 5 and 6, when legs  16 ,  18  are not retained by detent means  20 , and when they are at least pivoted slightly with respect to central support member  12 , they cooperate with central support member  12  to support carrier  10  so that it may rest atop a support surface in a stable, balanced configuration. 
     In FIG. 5, central support member  12  is leaning backward a preselected degree from the vertical and in FIG. 6, central support member  12  is leaning forward a preselected degree from the vertical. This is made possible by a pivotal connection between rod  14  and central support member  12 . 
     As best understood in connection with FIG. 3, central support member  12  is apertured near its upper end and rod  14  extends therethrough as at  13 . The diameter of the aperture (there being two aligned apertures in the preferred embodiment, due to the channel structure of central support member  12 ) is slightly greater than the diameter of rod  14  so that said rod  14  is free to pivot about the horizontal axis defined by said aperture. Rod  14  is held securely in place by a segment of adhesive lined heat shrink tubing. 
     It should therefore be understood that rod  14  and hence legs  16 ,  18  are free to rotate three hundred sixty degrees (360°) about the horizontal axis created by the aperture formed at the upper end of central support member  12 . However, when carrier  10  is in use it will normally be tilted just slightly backwardly or forwardly relative to the vertical as depicted in FIGS. 5 and 6. 
     FIG. 2 shows a golf club  22  being carried within carrier  10 . Five to seven clubs are accommodated by carrier  10 . 
     Handle  24  of club  22  is supported by cup  26  as depicted in said FIG.  2 . Cup  26  has an imperforate or substantially imperforate bottom wall  28  and upstanding sidewalls  30  mounted about the periphery thereof. Bottom wall  28  may be flat or dome-shaped. 
     The clubhead end of golf club  22  is supported by top ring member  32  (FIG. 2) that includes cylindrical sidewalls but no top or bottom, i.e., ring member  32  is of cylindrical construction. 
     Intermediate guide ring  34  has substantially the same construction as top ring member  32 . To position a club in the manner depicted in FIG. 2, handle  24  is inserted sequentially through top ring member  32 , intermediate guide ring member  34 , and brought to rest atop bottom wall  28  of cup  26 . Intermediate guide ring  34  may be eliminated to lighten carrier  10  even more because top ring  32  and cup  26  provide all needed support for club  22 . 
     Note from FIGS. 4-6 that top ring  32 , intermediate guide ring  34 , detent means  20 , and cup  26  are all mounted to central support member  12  on a common side thereof. The mounting may be accomplished by any suitable means such as nuts and bolts or the like. 
     However, as indicated in FIG. 7, central support member  12  may serve as a mounting means for additional elements as well. Beverage can-holding ring  36  is of cylindrical construction and may be used to hold a beverage can as its name implies or it may be used to hold other items of similar size and shape. Note that it is mounted on the rearward side of carrier  10  so that it does not interfere with club-holding members  32 ,  34 , and  26  mounted on the forward side of said carrier. 
     Moreover, a plurality of golf balls may be held in container  38  which is also mounted to the rearward side of central support member  12  in downwardly spaced relation to beverage can-holding ring  36 . Note that container  38  also serves as a floor or stop means for any beverage can held in beverage can-holding ring  36 . 
     Container  38  may have a bottom wall to support the golf balls stacked within it or said balls may be retained by a screw  40  that is secured to central support member  12  by a suitable nut means, for example, and which projects from said central support member  12  a distance sufficient to block egress of said balls from container  38  as depicted in said FIG.  7 . 
     Container  38 , in a preferred embodiment, has a finger-receiving slot  42  formed therein that extends along its entire extent. Thus, container  38  has a “C”-shaped transverse cross-section. Slot  42  facilitates removal of the balls from container  38  by one finger. 
     The structure of detent means  20  is also perhaps best understood in connection with FIG.  7 . Detent means  20  has a straight back part  20   a  that is secured to central support member  12  by a nut and bolt or other suitable fastener means. Straight back  20   a  is positioned at a right angle to central support member  12 . A return bend  20   b  is formed in each end of detent means  20  as best depicted in FIG. 7 to capture legs  16 ,  18  when they are manually brought toward one another as mentioned above. 
     There are a number of additional features that may be added to carrier  10 . For example, a lanyard hook, not shown, or other fastening means may be secured to the upper end of central support member  12  by any suitable means, and a towel, not shown, may then be hung from said lanyard hook. Moreover, a cylindrical handle, not depicted, perhaps fashioned from a short length of PVC piping, or other suitable material, may be secured to central support member  12  at a preselected location thereon between upper ring  32  and intermediate guide ring  34 . Such a handle provides a smooth cylindrical handle for the carrying of carrier  10 . However, it may also be carried by simply grasping central support member  12  between said top ring and said intermediate guide ring. 
     In another unillustrated embodiment, top ring  32 , intermediate guide ring  34 , and cup  26  are merged together in one elongate cylinder that extends from said upper ring  32  to said cup  36 . The cylinder has a closed bottom like that of cup  26  and functions in the same way as said upper ring and intermediate guide ring and said cup. However, such a cylindrical club holder increases the weight of carrier  10  and is more difficult to keep clean. Accordingly, the open structure depicted in the drawings is the preferred embodiment of the invention. 
     Where soil conditions are not a limiting factor, a rotating spike stand, not shown, and foot rest to facilitate driving the stand into the soil, not shown, may also be affixed to the lower end of central support member  12 . Such structure represents an alternative stand means to the depicted tripod stand arrangement; it does not depend upon ground penetration. 
     A tee holding means, not shown, may also be provided. Such a tee-holding means may be provided in the form of a perforated lid that closes golf-ball container  38 . An individual golf tee may then be inserted into each perforation. The golf tees or the perforated lid may support a beverage can disposed within beverage can-holding ring  36 . 
     The depicted embodiment thus should be understood as a simplified embodiment of the invention in that it does not includes a towel-holding means, a specific handle, a closed cylinder for holding the clubs, a tee-holding lid for golf ball container  38 , or a rotating spike stand and foot rest associated therewith. These unillustrated embodiments are within the scope of the claims that follow because they are embellishments of the novel structure. 
     Carrier  10 , due to its three point stance when legs  16 ,  18  are deployed, may be positioned almost anywhere. Legs  16 ,  18  may be deployed to hold central support member  12  substantially vertical on hillsides or other sloped surfaces. Legs  16 ,  18  do not penetrate the surface of the earth, so carrier  10  may be positioned on very rocky soil as well. Most importantly, the very light-in-weight structure of carrier  10  encourages golfers to walk rather to ride so that the health benefits of the game may be realized. 
     It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, and those made apparent from the foregoing description, are efficiently attained. 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 that, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween. 
     Now that the invention has been described.