Abstract:
A golf ball container and dispenser for use in storing and dispensing golf balls is constructed of a tube, bottom, spring, spring pad, wire ball catch, opening, bag clip. The bottom is beveled to prevent damage to golf clubs contained in the golf bag and to the device itself. The bottom is also removably attached to facilitate cleaning and maintenance of the interior components of the device. The device may be freestanding or may be inserted in a receptacle molded into the interior of a golf bag to provide further protection from damage to golf clubs and other accessories contained therein as well as to the golf bag itself.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates generally to the field of golf equipment. More particularly, the invention relates to an elongated golf ball dispenser that may be freestanding, or alternatively fits in a golf bag, and allows easy access to golf balls stored within. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0004]    Throughout the course of a round of golf, it often becomes necessary for a golfer to replace the golf ball being played as a result of loss or damage. As a result, golfers are forced to carry several spare golf balls with them for the duration of the round. The spare balls are often kept in golf bags used by golfers to transport spare golf balls in addition to golf clubs and other golf and non-golf related paraphernalia during the course of a round of golf. 
         [0005]    These golf bags, however, often provide only simple pockets in which spare golf balls are loosely stored among other things. As a result, when a golfer attempts to retrieve a spare golf ball from a golf bag upon losing or damaging the currently played ball, it is often inconveniently stored and difficult to find and obtain. As a result of the balls being stored loosely in pockets among other articles, it is easy for the balls to become damaged by or cause damage to these other articles when the objects are shifted around during transport. In addition, bending down to access the pockets can also be difficult, particularly for older golfers. Finally, it is not readily apparent to the golfer how many golf balls are stored in the various pockets of the golf bag. 
         [0006]    Golf ball dispensers have become well known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,732 to Althaus et al. describes a Golf Ball Carrier and Dispenser in the form of a tube in which balls are stacked and biased to one end by spring action where an end opening smaller than the balls restrains the endmost ball from release. The patent further describes a side dispensing opening for release of a ball located adjacent to the end of the tube so that when pressure is applied through the end opening, the endmost ball of the stack can be pushed downwardly and toward the exit opening for release of the endmost ball over the next underlying ball in the stack. 
         [0007]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,554,077 to Coles describes a similar device wherein the balls are restrained at the open end of the tube by a cap connected via a bridging member to the tube cylinder and projecting over the axial center line of the cylinder and formed with a concave spherical shape to receive the end of a ball contained within the dispenser. 
         [0008]    However, there is a need for convenient access to the interior of the device both for purposes of inserting and removing golf balls and for cleaning and maintenance of the interior of the device. Use of the spherical cap connected to the tube via a bridging member as described in Coles, for example, restricts access to the topmost retained ball by, for example, preventing finger tip contact with the ball from any direction. There is also a need for a golf ball dispensing device having a removable bottom providing convenient access to the interior of the device for cleaning and maintenance, particularly of the spring mechanism. Finally, there is a need for a golf ball dispensing device that can be integrated into the interior of a golf bag. 
       SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    Accordingly, there exists a need for a device for storing and dispensing golf balls that allows for convenient access to the interior of the device for the purposes of inserting and removing golf balls and for cleaning and maintaining the interior of the device. Said device should be of simple construction and durable so as to resist damage. There also exists a need for a device for storing and dispensing golf balls that can be integrated into a golf bag in a manner that protects against damage to the device or to the contents of the golf bag or the golf bag itself. 
         [0010]    Briefly described, those and other objects and features of the present invention are accomplished, as embodied and fully described herein, by a device that includes an elongated housing having an interior for receiving a plurality of golf balls in a linear configuration, the elongated housing having a first end and a second end opposite the first end; a cap removably engaging the first end of the elongated housing to permit access to the housing interior; a wire ball catch fixedly attached to the second end of the elongated housing for retaining a topmost golf ball of the plurality of golf balls at a position external to said interior; a spring having a bottom end engaging the cap at the first end of the elongated housing and a top end providing an upward force toward the second end of the elongated housing, said spring also having a spring stop for preventing the spring from becoming overly compressed; a spring pad engaging to the top end of the spring, said spring pad engaging a bottommost golf ball of the plurality of golf balls in a vertical configuration such that the upward force of the top end of the spring is applied to the bottom ball urging the plurality of golf balls toward the second end of the elongated housing; and an opening at the second end of the elongated housing for removing the topmost ball from the device. 
         [0011]    The objects and features of the device also include a device with one or more vertical slots cut into the elongated housing providing visual access to the interior of the device. 
         [0012]    The objects and features of the device also include a device wherein the bottom removably attached to the second end of the elongated housing is a beveled, threaded cap. 
         [0013]    The objects and features of the device also include a device wherein said cap is threadably received on the first end of the elongated housing. 
         [0014]    The objects and features of the device also include a device wherein the wire ball catch is curved to retain the topmost golf ball with minimal contact with the surface of the topmost ball and maximal accessibility to the topmost ball. 
         [0015]    The objects and features of the device also include a device wherein said wire ball catch is a wire prong. 
         [0016]    The objects and features of the device also include a device with a bag clip for removably attaching the device to a golf bag. 
         [0017]    The objects and features of the device also include a device with a receptacle molded into the interior of a golf bag for slidably and removably receiving the housing. 
         [0018]    With those and other objects, advantages and features of the invention that may become hereinafter apparent, the nature of the invention may be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description of the invention, the appended claims and to the several drawings attached herein. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0019]      FIG. 1  depicts a side view of one embodiment of the present device; 
           [0020]      FIGS. 2(   a ) and ( b ) depict a partial front and back view of the top portion of the present device; 
           [0021]      FIG. 3  depicts a top view of the embodiment of the present device; 
           [0022]      FIG. 4  depicts a cutaway view of the bottom portion of the present device; 
           [0023]      FIGS. 5(   a ) and ( b ) depict a front and side view of the device as integrated into a golf bag; and 
           [0024]      FIG. 6  depicts a top view of the device as integrated into a golf bag. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0025]    Several preferred embodiments of the invention are described for illustrative purposes, it being understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms not specifically shown in the drawings. 
         [0026]      FIG. 1  depicts a side view of one embodiment of the golf ball dispenser  100  in accordance with the present invention. The device  100  includes an elongated housing  102  having a substantially cylindrical interior with diameter slightly larger than that of a conventional golf ball  104 , a standard golf ball  104  having diameter of 1.68 inches. The elongated housing  102  is hollow so the interior space can hold a plurality of golf balls  104  in a stacked configuration therein. The elongated housing  102  has a threaded bottom that receives a cap  106  at the bottom end. The threaded bottom cap  106  can be unscrewed and removed from the golf ball dispenser  100  for cleaning and maintenance of the interior of the device  100 . The threaded bottom cap  106  has a beveled shape  108  to prevent damage to the device  100  and to golf clubs and other contents of a golf bag  502  shown in  FIG. 5  when the device  100  is inserted into or removed from the bag. 
         [0027]    At the top end of the elongated housing  102  is an opening  110  for removal of a golf ball  104  and a wire ball catch  112 . The wire ball catch  112  retains the topmost golf ball  104  in the stack of golf balls at the opening  110  for easy retrieval by a user. The wire ball catch  112  is durable and can be made of hard metal that will not bend or break if the golf ball dispenser  100  is contacted by golf clubs or dropped. The wire ball catch  112  can be covered with a plastic, rubber or other protective material coating so that the wire ball catch  112  does not scratch or damage the golf balls  104 . The wire ball catch  112  has two wire ends  124  attached to the elongated housing  102  at distance slightly less than the width of a golf ball  104 , between, for example, 1¼ inches and 1⅜ inches. The wire ends  124  of the wire ball catch  112  are curved to conform to the shape of a golf ball. The wire bends and extends over the top of the topmost golf ball  104  to form a retaining lip  126  for preventing the golf ball  104  from being ejected from the device  100  until the ball is manually removed. The retaining lip portion  126  may be flared around the surface of the ball  104  to better encircle and grip the ball  104 . The wire ball catch  112  allows most of the surface of the topmost golf ball  104  to be visually inspected by the user for damage, scratches, or dirt to determine whether to discard the golf ball.  104 . 
         [0028]    The space  128  between the two wires  124  of the wire ball catch  112  is wide enough to allow a finger to displace the topmost golf ball  104  for removing the ball from the golf ball dispenser  100  through the opening  110 . The wire ball catch  112  is spaced from the top rim of the elongated housing  102  to prevent the golf ball  104  from being ejected in any direction other than toward the opening  110 , that is, the golf ball  104  is larger than the space between the top rim of the elongated housing  102  and the sides of the two wires  124 . But, when a finger applies a downward and forward ejective force to the topmost ball  104 , it forces the topmost ball  104  downward into the device  100  to compress the spring  402  until the ball moves into the curved lip  132  where it has sufficient clearance to exit the device  100 . The golf ball  104  can be further guided or pulled by the user along the sides of the golf ball  104 , which are fully accessible. The golf ball  104  pulls right into the user&#39;s palm. The removal of the golf ball  104  is easy enough to be done with one hand or two fingers. The wire ball catch  112  guides the ball downward into the lip  132 . 
         [0029]    Once the topmost golf ball  104  is removed, it creates space for another golf ball  104  to be pushed up by the spring  402  into the device  100  as the topmost golf ball  104 . When the downward force is applied to the topmost ball  104  to allow for the insertion of another golf ball  104  into the device  100 , the wire ball catch  112  and the interior walls of the substantially cylindrical interior of the elongated housing  102  guide the golf ball  104  down into the elongated housing  102  so that the golf ball  104  cannot exit from the sides. Though the lip  126  is curved downward in the preferred embodiment, it can be linear or be inversely curved to further guide the golf ball  104 . In addition, the user can remove the golf ball  104  by placing a finger in the space  130  between the golf ball  104  and the back of the wire ball catch  112 . 
         [0030]    As shown in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 , the wire ball catch  112  is fastened to the elongated housing  102  by rivets  202 . The elongated housing  102  has a bag clip  114  at the top end for securing the device to the rim of a golf bag  502  when inserted therein. The bag clip  114  has a sleeve portion  116  and a tab portion  118 . The sleeve portion  116  wraps around the elongated housing  102  to fasten the bag clip  114  to the elongated housing  102 . The sleeve portion  116  is fastened to the elongated housing rivets  202 ,  204  as shown in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 . In an alternative embodiment, the sleeve  116  may screw on to the top of the elongated housing  102  making the sleeve portion  116  and wire ball catch  112  removable. The tab portion  118  removably grips the rim of a golf bag when the device is placed inside the bag  502 . In this manner, the user of the device can place the device inside his or her golf bag to easily transport the device and the balls contained therein. 
         [0031]    Observation slots  120  are cut into the elongated housing  102  to allow visual inspection of the interior of the housing  102 . The observation slots  120  extend along the longitudinal axis of the elongated housing  102 . In particular, the number of golf balls  104  contained within the device is readily ascertainable. 
         [0032]    Turning now to  FIG. 4 , a spring  402  is provided in the interior of the cylindrical housing  102 . The spring  402  presses against the bottom  106  of the device to apply an upward force to the plurality of vertically stacked golf balls  104  contained in the device  100 . Thus, the spring  402  biases the stack of golf balls  104  toward the opening  110  and into the wire ball catch  112 . A platform or pad  404  is provided at the top of the spring  402  to prevent damage to the bottommost golf ball  104 . The spring  402  pushes against the pad  404  to apply upward force to the plurality of vertically stacked golf balls  104 . The wire ball catch  112  maintains a ball at the opening  110  of the cylindrical housing  102  until a user of the device manually removes the ball  104  from the device. The upward force of the spring  402  then pushes the remaining balls toward the wire ball catch  112  and in doing so positions the next ball for manual removal. The removable bottom  106  can be removed from the device  100  to allow for cleaning and repair of the spring  402 , the spring pad  404 , and the spring stop  406 . 
         [0033]    When the device  100  contains no golf balls  104 , a user may load a first golf ball  104  into the device  100  by inserting the golf ball  104  into the wire ball catch  112  such that the golf ball  104  is held in place by the wire ball catch  112  and the spring pad  404 . The user may load additional golf balls  104  into the device  100  by applying a downward force to the topmost golf ball and inserting the additional golf ball into the wire ball catch  112  such that the additional golf ball is held in place by the wire ball catch  112  and the previously topmost golf ball. A spring stop  406  is attached to the spring pad  404  to prevent the spring  402  from being overly compressed by too many balls  104  or too much downward force applied by the user. 
         [0034]    In another embodiment of the present device as shown in  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6 , a receptacle  504  is molded into a golf bag  502  to receive the golf ball dispenser  100 . The receptacle  504  has an opening to slidably and removably receive the golf ball dispenser  100 . The receptacle  504  makes it easy to insert the golf ball dispenser  100  into and remove the dispenser  100  out of a golf bag  502 . When inserted into the receptacle  504 , the dispenser  100  extends out of the top  506  for easy accessibility to the topmost golf ball  104 . This configuration provides additional protection for golf clubs and other contents of the golf bag  502  that may come into contact with the golf ball dispenser  100 . In addition, this embodiment eliminates the need for a bag clip  114 . Alternatively, the dispenser  100  can be placed into one of the compartments  508  of the golf bag  502 . The bag clip  114  may be also be attached to the golf bag  502  in combination with the receptacle  504  or when in one of the compartments  508  to provide supplemental stabilization of the device  100  in the golf bag  502 . The bag clip  114  can also attach to other articles, such as a golf cart or golf bag holder. 
         [0035]    Although certain presently preferred embodiments of the disclosed invention have been specifically described herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains that variations and modifications of the various embodiments shown and described herein may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the invention be limited only to the extent required by the appended claims and the applicable rules of law.