Abstract:
The present invention relates to a wire golf ball retriever having a substantially circularly light bulb shaped wire formed member with space between adjacent wires to allow the passage of golf balls into the confines thereof so as to retrieve golf balls from relatively inaccessible places including under water in ponds and streams.

Description:
FIELD TO WHICH THE INVENTION RELATES 
   This invention relates to retrieving golf balls from inaccessible locations. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates to a retriever for golf balls, which balls may be located in inaccessible places including under water in ponds and streams. 
   Golf balls are relatively expensive, so nobody wants to lose them. In addition, in the game of golf, one plays from the nearest location to a hazard, which location depends on the position of the golf ball within the hazard. 
   For this reason, it is useful to be able to retrieve a particular golf ball from the hazard so as to continue the round of golf play. 
   Previous systems have been developed in order to accomplish this retrieval. Examples include a spoon-shaped retriever located on the end of a long pole and the manually operated jaw retriever, again mounted on a long pole. 
   These systems tend to be somewhat difficult to store, handle, and/or maneuver with the end result that the retrieval process is somewhat arduous. This can cause any particular golf party to guesstimate where the particular ball may be and thus proceed without such golf ball. 
   This guesstimating procedure is sufficiently high that a number of independently minded individuals may earn sufficient money by retrieving golf balls at any given hazard so as to provide spending money. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates to a golf ball retriever system, which system includes an expandable retrieval area for passage of a golf ball into the retriever as well as a capture area for holding the ball during the precise retrieval procedure thereafter. 
   The retrieval area comprises a series of substantially parallel wires which nominally have a distance between the wires slightly less than the diameter of the golf ball being retrieved. This allows the golf ball to pass by these wires by a slight deflection thereof. The capture area completes the golf ball retriever. In this capture area, the distance between adjacent wires is sufficiently less than that of the golf ball that the golf ball cannot escape without major deflection of the retriever. 
   By incorporating the retriever on the end of a rod totalling the distance between the user and the golf ball, any given golf ball can be retrieved from this hazard in an expeditious and distinctive manner. This allows a particular player to continue play with what is otherwise a lost ball and in addition improves the game of golf by allowing such play to continue without sufficient lost time at determining the preferred location adjacent to where the golf ball became unplayable. 
   OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
   It is an object of this invention to simplify golf ball retrievers; 
   It is another object of this invention to facilitate golf ball retrieval; 
   It is still a further object to provide for a self actuating golf ball retrievers; 
   It is a further object to protect the integrity of a round of golf; 
   It is yet another object of this invention to speed up a round of golf; 
   It is still another object of this invention to allow for small golf ball retrievers; 
   It is a further object of this invention to simplify the process of golf ball retrieval; 
   Other objects and a further understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the drawings in which: 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a longitudinal side view of a ball retriever incorporating the invention of the application; 
       FIGS. 2–4  are cross sectional side views of the ball retriever of  FIG. 1  taken substantially along lines  2 — 2  therein showing the cooperation of adjacent rods of the ball retriever during capture of a golf ball; 
       FIGS. 5–6  are end views of the ball retriever of  FIG. 1  taken substantially along the lines  5 — 5  therein; 
       FIGS. 7–8  are cross sectional views of the attachment portion of the retriever of  FIG. 1 ; and, 
       FIG. 9  is a drawing of wires which make up an alternative retriever of  FIG. 1 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates to a retrieval system for circular objects, in the preferred embodiment: golf balls. 
   According to the U.S. Golf Association, the golf ball must have a diameter of over 1.680″, it must be symmetrical, it must be lighter than 1.62 ounces, it has a maximum velocity of 250 feet per second (tolerance of 2%) with an overall distance of 280 yards (straight line tolerance of 6%). This golf ball is to serve as the circular object of the preferred embodiment disclosed. 
   The preferred embodiment of the invention in  FIG. 1  is a ball retriever  10  having a retrieval area  20 , a capture area  30 , an end  40 , and a fitting  50 . 
   The retriever itself is made out of a series of rods  11  which together form a substantially light bulb shaped member extending between the fitting  50  and the end  40 . The number of rods  11  can be varied as long as the distance relationship to the diameter of the golf ball is maintained; four to nine rods is preferred to provide for a small, easy-to-use retriever. 
   In the particular embodiment disclosed, this includes six substantially equal distant spaced rods  11  forming a member with an overall length of substantially 9″ long, each rod being of 0.132″ in diameter spaced at substantially 60° angles in respect to the adjacent rod. The retriever itself has a overall diameter of substantially 2.63″ having an enlarged portion centered at substantially 1.25″ distant from the end  40  and spaced between rods some 1.31″. It is made of injected molded plastic: ABS is preferred as the plastic. 
   The rods form a retrieval area  20  at the substantially largest diameter area of the retriever  10 . This retrieval area is formed of a series of adjacent rods  21 – 26 . These rods have an original distance  31  therebetween equal to or slightly less than the diameter  101  of the golf ball  100 . As shown in  FIGS. 2–4 , this distance  31  expands to be equal to the diameter  101  of the golf ball  100  during the passage of the golf ball so as to allow the passage of the golf ball into the confines  13  of the retriever  10  ( 31 B in  FIG. 3 ). It is preferred that the unflexed distance  31 A between adjoining rods  11  be slightly less than the diameter  101  of the golf ball with a slight flexing of adjacent rods upon the passage of the golf ball  100  into the wire retriever  10 . This slightly smaller diameter  31 A allows the golf ball to be preliminarily retained in the retriever  10  during any subsequent movement. It is preferred that the distance  31 A is 90% to 95% of the diameter of the golf ball  100 . 
   In the preferred embodiment disclosed, the retrieval area  20  has a diameter of substantially 2.63″ having the longitudinal extent of the retrieval area centered substantially 1.250″ from the end  40  of the retriever. 
   It is preferred that a retrieval area of the retriever  10  extend for a distance  28  along the outer diameter of the retriever  10 . This distance  28  allows for the golf ball to be retrieved by the retriever  10  even though the alignment is not precisely accomplished at the specific largest diameter of the retrieval area  20 . 
   The capture area  30  of the retriever retains the golf ball  100  in the retriever upon the actual removal of the golf ball from the out of play area. To accomplish this, the capture area  30  has a rod spacing  31  less than the diameter  101  of the golf ball. The capture area  30  thus creates a cradle  32  to facilitate the retention of the golf ball in the retriever  10 . To accomplish this, the capture area has a diameter  31 . The cradle  32  itself is formed at the outer end of the retriever  10 . This relationship and that relationship of the retrieval area  20  are set forth in schematic form in  FIGS. 1–4 . In this relationship, the rod spacing  31  can be flexed to create a spacing greater than the diameter  101  of the golf ball so as to allow the passage of the golf ball into the central area of the retriever  10  while the rod spacing  31  of the capture area  30  is sufficiently small after flexing so as to retain the golf ball during the actual retrieving operation. Note that due to the resiliency of the rods  11  of the retriever, the retrieval  20  and capture area  30  may overlap at their union  14  (i.e., the rods can expand slightly in diameter to allow the passage of the golf ball  100  into the retriever while it may also retain it at the same location due to a slight differentiation between the forces during inward movement between two adjacent rods and the outward movement through the same two adjacent rods). It is preferred, however, that the cradle  32  formed by the capture area  30  be sufficiently long so that it would be difficult for a golf ball to have sufficient force placed thereon that it escapes from the capture area  30  through adjacent rods. It is envisioned that this separation force would occur only upon situations such as the golf ball being located behind a snag which would artificially increase the tension on the golf ball so as to allow its escape from the capture area  30  during retrieval. In the preferred embodiment disclosed, the capture area extends 75% to 95% of the length from the retrieval area  20  to the outer end  40  of the retriever  10 . 
   In the preferred embodiment disclosed, the capture area  30  extends from substantially 1.25″ from the end  40  to the end of the central area  41  of the retriever  10 . It is preferred that this distance be substantially greater than ½ of the diameter of the golf ball so that once the golf ball is captured in the cradle  32 , it would not have sufficient force to escape from the cradle  32  during normal usage. 
   The end  40  cooperates with the capture area  30  to form the outer cradle  32  for the retriever  10 . It is preferred that the outer end  40  include a cap  41  integrally joining all of the rods  11 . This fitting would prevent the radial displacement of the central axis  17  of the retriever  10 , thus to ensure consistent operation of the retriever no matter which two adjacent rods  21 – 26  may be utilized in a particular retrieval operation. This ensures a uniformity of operation in the device during the retrieval. It also ensures consistent operation of the cradle  32  by not allowing the major physical displacement of any of the rods  21 – 26  forming such cradle. 
   In the preferred embodiment disclosed, the end cap  41  is a member substantially 0.40″ in diameter integrally joining all of the rods  21 – 26  at their outwardly extending end. 
   The fitting  50  of the retriever  10  completes its construction. 
   The fitting  50  is designed to interconnect the retriever  10  onto the pole  60  utilized with the retriever  10 . Preferably, this fitting  50  is separable from the pole  60  so as to allow the usage of the pole with alternate devices. It is further preferred that this pole  60  be an expanding pole so as to allow its inclusion into a normal golf bag while also allowing a sufficient distance for satisfactory retrieval of the golf ball from the out of bounds area. 
   In the preferred embodiment disclosed, the fitting  50  includes two sections  51 ,  52 . Section 51 of the fitting  50  is designed to retain the ends of the rods  21 – 26  onto the fitting  50 , thus to orient the rods in their proper shape. In the preferred embodiment disclosed, this section  51  has six holes substantially 0.5″ deep located on a 0.54″ between the center axis of adjacent rods  21 – 26 . The rods  21 – 26  themselves are glued or applied fixedly attached to this section  51 . 
   This section  52  is designed to cooperate with the pole  60  so as to interconnect the retriever  10  to such pole. 
   In the preferred embodiment disclosed, this section  52  is a reduced diameter section integrally glued or otherwise fixedly connected to the pole  60 . 
   Although the preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that changes can be made without deviating from the invention as hereinafter claimed. For example, with alternative sizing, the retriever could be utilized to retrieve tennis balls. An example of this is shown in  FIG. 8  wherein the retrieval section  120  extends for a greater length  122  than in  FIG. 1 .