Abstract:
The present invention discloses an improved ball mark repair tool and method that quickly and easily repairs ball mark indentations in golf course greens One embodiment of a tool for repairing ball marks according to the present invention, comprises a body and a corkscrew housed within and extendible from the body. The corkscrew turns when extending from the body to turn into a ball mark indentation and raise the indentation. One embodiment of a method for repairing a ball mark indentation according to the present invention, comprises driving a corkscrew into the ball mark indentation area while the corkscrew is turning. The corkscrew is then turned to allow the spiral of the corkscrew to pull up the soil and turf in the indentation. The turning of the corkscrew is then reversed to withdraw the corkscrew from the indentation.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to hand tools and more particularly to a hand tool used to repair ball marks on golf course greens.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    One of the primary concerns in golf course maintenance is keeping the greens in good repair, which generally means keeping the surface smooth and keeping the grass green. This not only makes the golf course more aesthetically pleasing but also allows puts to roll truer on greens; both of which add to the enjoyment experienced by the golfers on the course.  
           [0003]    One of the objects of golf is to hit the ball on a green from far away as possible. Golf balls can land on a green after being hit from a distance of more than 200 yards. When the ball hits the green, the surface of the green suffers an indentation from the compression of the turf and soil on impact, referred to as a ball mark. If the indentation is not repaired, the surface of the green is less level and the compressed grass in the indentation can die. This can result in a small brown patch of dead grass in an otherwise green surface.  
           [0004]    One of the most popular ball mark repair tools is a small hand held device comprising a body with two parallel prongs extending from the body. The body is held in the golfer&#39;s hand between the thumb and forefinger with the two parallel prongs extending away from the hand. To repair a ball mark using this tool, the golfer must hold the tool in his hand with the prongs directed down and bend over until the prong and hand are at the level of the green&#39;s surface. The golfer then forces the prongs into the surface of the green in and around the ball mark and lifts the indented turf and soil. It can take several motions to fully lift the indentation and after it is lifted, the golfer usually steps on the lifted indentation to align the lifted area with the surrounding surface of the green.  
           [0005]    This process can be burdensome and awkward because the golfer must bend dramatically and because of the numerous motions required to properly repair the ball mark. The bending motion can also result in back injury or fatigue. As a result, many golfers do not properly repair their ball marks as can be evidenced by ball mark damage to many greens.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    The present invention discloses an improved ball mark repair tool and method that quickly and easily repairs a ball mark in typically one or two motions. One embodiment of a tool for repairing ball marks on golf course greens according to the present invention, comprises a body and a corkscrew housed within and extendible from the body. The corkscrew turns when extending from the body to turn into a ball mark indentation and raise the indentation.  
           [0007]    Another embodiment of a tool for repairing ball mark indentations on golf course greens according to the present invention comprises a cylindrical body with a handle mounted at one end of the cylindrical body. A base is mounted to the end of the cylindrical body opposite the handle, the cylindrical body vertically arranged with the base at the bottom of the body over the ball mark indentation and the handle at the top of the body. A corkscrew is arranged in the base, with the handle being operable to cause the corkscrew to rotate and extend from the base to turn into and raise the ball mark indentation.  
           [0008]    One embodiment of a method for repairing a ball mark indentation according to the present invention, comprises driving a corkscrew into the ball mark indentation area while the corkscrew is turning. The corkscrew is then turned to allow the spiral of the corkscrew to pull up the soil and turf in the indentation. The turning of the corkscrew is then reversed to withdraw the corkscrew from the indentation.  
           [0009]    In operation, the tool&#39;s base is placed over the ball mark with the base&#39;s central hole over the center of the ball mark indentation. The handle slides down the cylindrical body, causing the corkscrew to extend from the body while it is turning. The corkscrew turns into the turf and soil of the indentation. Once the corkscrew is fully extended the handle slides further down the cylindrical body and continues to turn the corkscrew, which results in the grass and soil below being pulled up by the corkscrew. When the handle is released and slides back up the body, the corkscrew turns out of the raised grass and soil, and is retracted back into the delrin base.  
           [0010]    The holes left in the turf and soil by the corkscrew provide the additional advantage of aeration. The holes leave an opening for air and water to pass into the turf and soil, which allows for faster re-growth of the turf and repair of the ball mark.  
           [0011]    The present invention allows ball mark indentations to be more easily and conveniently repaired. The user does not need to bend over as far compared to the more popular ball mark repair tool, and the ball mark can be repaired in fewer motions. This make the entire process less burdensome and awkward, which can lead to more golfers repairing their ball mark indentation. This in turn can lead to golf course greens being kept in better condition for the enjoyment of all golfers.  
           [0012]    The tool and method according to the present invention have been described for use in the context of ball mark indentation repair, but they can also be used for other purposes. They can be used in any application where turf and soil can be raised. For example, the tool can be used to pull weeds by placing the tool over the weed and allowing the tool&#39;s corkscrew action to pull up the weed.  
           [0013]    These and other further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]    [0014]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a ball mark repair tool in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 2 is an end elevation view of the tool shown in FIG. 1;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the tool in FIG. 2, taken along section lines  3 - 3 ;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 4 is a bottom elevation view of the bottom delrin base used in the tool of FIG. 1;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of the bottom delrin base shown in FIG. 4;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 6 is a side elevation view of the top delrin base used in the tool of FIG. 1;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of the delrin handle used in the tool of FIG. 1.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 8 is a side elevation view of the main body used in the tool of FIG. 1;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 9 is a side elevation view of a helical shaft used in the tool of FIG. 1;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 10 is a side elevation view of a top bearing stop used in the tool of FIG. 1; and  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 11 is a side elevation view of a bottom-bearing stop used in the tool of FIG. 1.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0025]    [0025]FIGS. 1-3 show one embodiment of a ball mark repair tool  10  in accordance with the present invention. It generally includes a cylindrical body  12 , with a handle  14  at one end and a base  15  at the opposite end. The body  12 , handle  14  and base  15  can be made of different metal or plastic materials with a suitable material for the body  12  being aluminum and the handle  12  and base  14  being black delrin.  
         [0026]    The base  15  is shown in more detail in FIGS. 4 and 5, and FIG. 6 shows the base&#39;s mounting component  16 . The base  15  and mounting component  16  are discussed with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3- 6 . The base  15  has an axial disk section  18 , and a cylindrical section  20 , with the disk section  18  having a central hole  22  that is aligned with the tool&#39;s longitudinal axis and opens to the cylindrical section  20 . The section  20  houses a corkscrew  24  that is also aligned along the tool&#39;s longitudinal axis, with the pointed end of the corkscrew aligned with and directed out the central hole  22 .  
         [0027]    The base mounting component  16  is arranged to mount the base  15  to one end of the cylindrical body  12  such that the base  15  becomes an integral part of the body  12 . The component  16  can be made of many different materials, with a suitable material being aluminum. The component  16  has a cylindrical shape with an inner diameter slightly larger diameter than the cylindrical body  12  so that the component  16  can slide up and down the body  12  with a close fit between the two. The component  16  also has an outer threaded surface  24  that mates with an inner threaded surface  26  (best shown in FIG. 3) on the inside surface of the base&#39;s cylindrical section  20 . After the mounting component  16  is positioned on the body  12 , the base  15  is threaded onto the component  16  to fix the two together as on the body  12 .  
         [0028]    The handle  14  is shown in more detail in FIG. 7 and the body  12  is shown in more detail in FIG. 8, both of which are discussed with reference to FIGS. 1, 2,  7  and  8 . The handle  14  is sized so that it can be gripped by the user&#39;s hand to operate the tool  10 , with the handle  14  being positioned at the end of the body  12  opposite the base  15 . It has a cylindrical gripping section  28  and a disk shaped pushing disk  30 , although other embodiments of a handle according to the present invention do not have a disk. The disk  30  has a central axial hole  32  having a diameter that is slightly larger than the diameter of the outside surface of the cylindrical body  12 , so that the component  32  can slide up and down the body  12  with a close fit between the two. The inner surface of the gripping section  28  has first and second regions  28 ,  28   b  with different inner diameters. The inner surface of the first region  28   a  has an inner diameter that is slightly larger than the diameter of the outer surface of the body  12 , while the second region  28   b  has a slightly larger inside diameter than the first region  28   a . The handle is positioned on the body  12  with its pushing disk  30  closest to the base  15 . The handle  14  slides up and down the body  12  with a close fit between the two. In operation the user grasps the gripping section  28  and applies a pushing force to the disk  30 , causing the handle to slide down the body  12 .  
         [0029]    The body  12  has a longitudinal slot  33  running down much of its length. The handle has an internal pin  34  that extends from its inner surface toward its longitudinal axis. The pin  34  is sized to fit within the slot  33  and ride within the slot  33  as the handle  14  slides up and down the body  12 .  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 9 shows a helical shaft  36  that is disposed within the cylindrical body  12  and is discussed with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The shaft  36  can be made of many materials, with a suitable material being stainless steel. The shaft  36  has a corkscrew track  38  running along its length. When the shaft  36  is disposed within the body  12 , a portion of the track  38  is accessible through the body&#39;s slot  33  such that the handle&#39;s pin  34  fits can pass through the slot  33  and into the track  38 . When the handle  14  slides up and down the body  12 , the pin  34 , slot  33  and track  38  combination causes the shaft  36  to rotate within the body  12 . The shaft  36  rotates one direction as the handle  14  slides down the body  12  and rotates the opposite direction as the handle  14  slides back up the body  12 . The corkscrew  24  is mounted to the end of the helical shaft  36 , opposite the handle  14  so that the corkscrew is housed within the cylindrical section  20  of the base  15 .  
         [0031]    The helical shaft  36  is held within the body  12  between a top bearing stop  40  at the handle end of the body  12 , and a bottom bearing stop  42  and the delrin base end of the body  12 . The top and bottom bearing stops  40 ,  42  can also be made of many different materials, with a suitable material being aluminum. FIGS. 10 and 11 show the top bearing stop and bottom bearing stop in more detail, respectively and are discussed in combination with FIGS. 1 and 3. The top bearing stop  40  has a cylindrical shape and generally comprises a threaded section  44  and a larger diameter top stop section  46 . The threaded section  44  has threads designed to mate with first threads  50  on the top inner surface of the body  12  (best shown in FIG. 3), to mount the top-bearing stop  40  to the end of the body  12 .  
         [0032]    The top stop section  46  has a slightly larger diameter than the outer surface of the body  12  and the inner surface of the handle&#39;s cylindrical gripping section  28 . When the handle is at the top of the body  12 , the handle&#39;s inner edge  50  butts against the wider diameter stop section  46 , which prevents the handle  14  from sliding off the body  12 . The handle&#39;s second region  28   b  has a wider diameter than its first region  28   b , to allow the top stop section to slide within the region  28   b  when the handle  14  slides down the body  12 .  
         [0033]    The top bearing stop  40  also has top bearings  52  housed within the threaded section  44 . The smaller diameter section  54  of the helical shaft is positioned with the bearings  52 . This arrangement allows the top bearing stop  40  to hold the helical shaft  36  within the body while at the same time allowing the shaft to rotate about its longitudinal axis.  
         [0034]    The bottom bearing stop  42  also has a cylindrical shape, with different sections having different diameters at their outer surfaces. It has a threaded surface  56  designed to mate with the second threads  58  in the body  12 . To mount the bottom-bearing stop  42  to the body  12 , the bottom-bearding stop  42  is turned onto the body  12  causing threads  56  to mate with the second threads  58 .  
         [0035]    The bottom bearing stop  42  also has a bottom stop section  60 , which has a slightly larger diameter than the outer surface of the body  12  and the inner surface of the base mounting component  16 . When the stop  42  is mounted to the body  12  and the base  15  is at the bottom of the body  12 , the inner edge  62  of the mounting component butts against the wider diameter stop section  60 , which prevents the base  15  from sliding off the body  12 .  
         [0036]    The corkscrew end of the helical shaft  36  has a smaller diameter section  64  that passes through the bottom bearing stop  42  and into the bottom delrin base  17 . The bottom-bearing stop  42  includes bearing  66  having an inner surface with a diameter slightly larger than the outer surface diameter of the shaft section  64 . The bearings allow the shaft  36  to rotate about its longitudinal axis.  
         [0037]    A first spring  68  is mounted on the body  12  and is disposed between the handle  14  and an axial ridge  70  on the body  12 , with the spring urging the handle  14  to the end of the body  12  opposite the delrin base  17 . When not in operation the spring holds the handle  14  at the end of the body  12 , as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, with the handle&#39;s inner edge  50  against the wider diameter stop section  46  of the top bearing stop  40 . A second spring  72  is also mounted on the body  12  between the ridge  70  and the base  15 , urging the base  15  to the end of the body  12  opposite the handle  14 , also as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. When not in operation, the second spring  72  holds the inner edge  62  of the mounting component  16  against the wider diameter stop section  60  of the bottom bearing stop  16 , which holds the base  15  on the body  12 . Many different springs can be used for the first and second springs, with suitable springs being commercially available from Century Spring, Inc.  
         [0038]    In operation, the tool  10  can be used in a new method according to the present invention for repairing ball mark indentations, although the tool  10  can be similarly used for other purposes such as weed pulling. The user holds the tool  10  by the handle&#39;s gripping section  28 . The tool  10  is then placed on the green over a ball mark with the disk  18  of the base  15  over the ball mark such that base hole  22  is over the center of the ball mark indentation. The user then pushes the handle  14  down the body  12 , against the pressure of the first spring  68  and toward the ball mark indentation. This causes the first and second springs  68 ,  72  to compress simultaneously. The compression of the second spring  72  causes the base  15  to slide up the body  12 , which allows the corkscrew  24  to extend from the base  15  through the central hole  22 . The compression of the first spring  68  allows the handle  14  to slide down the body  12 . The pin  34  of the handle  14  riding in the body slot  33  and shaft track  38  causes the shaft  36  to rotate as the handle slides down the body. Accordingly, the corkscrew  24  rotates as it extends from the central hole  22 , causing the corkscrew  24  to be driven into the turf and soil of the indentation as it rotates.  
         [0039]    The base  15  continues to slide up the body  12  until the second spring  72  is fully compressed between the ridge  73  and base  15 . At this point the corkscrew  24  is fully extended from the central hole  22  and has reached its maximum depth in the turf and soil.  
         [0040]    After the base  15  stops sliding up the body  12 , the handle  14  continues to slide down the body  12 . This causes the corkscrew  24  to continue turning without reaching any deeper into the turf and soil. This turning action causes the turf and soil to ride up the spirals of the corkscrew  24 , effectively pulling up the turf and soil of the ball mark indentation. As the handle  14  continues sliding down the body, the first spring  68  eventually becomes fully compressed between the handle  14  and the ridge  70 . At this point the turf and soil of the ball mark indentation will have been pulled up to the level of the surrounding green. When the first and second springs  68 ,  72  are compressed they urge the handle and base, respectively, to the positions shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.  
         [0041]    When the user releases the downward pressure on the handle  14 , the first and second springs  68 ,  72  expand. This expansion causes the handle  14  to slide to one end (top) of the body  12  and the delrin base  15  to slide to the other end (bottom) of the body  12 . This causes the helical shaft  36  to turn in the opposite direction from when the handle  14  is sliding down the body  12 . This results in the corkscrew  24  also turning in the opposite direction so that it turns out of the now raised turf and soil. At the same time, the base  15  slides down the body  12 , causing the corkscrew  24  to retract into the delrin base  15 . This action allows the corkscrew  24  to turn out of the raised turf and soil while keeping the base at the raised height of the turf and soil.  
         [0042]    Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred configurations thereof, other versions are possible. The tool  10  can use different components with in different ways. The components can have different sizes and lengths. The handle  14  can be extendible by using a telescoping type arrangement. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the invention should not be limited to the preferred versions of the invention described above.