Abstract:
A game apparatus has a mechanism allowing to drop spherical objects one by one on the desired positions on the ground. The spherical object drop mechanism includes a housing for storing a plurality of spherical objects to allow vertical movements of the spherical objects therein by their own weight, a first stopper provided in the housing for stopping the vertical movement of the spherical objects, a second stopper provided in the housing located at a location lower than the first stopper by the distance corresponding to the diameter of the spherical object for stopping the vertical movement or releasing the stop operation of the spherical objects, a stopper drive mechanism to operate the first stopper and the second stopper opposite to each other, and a knob to operate the stopper drive mechanism from outside.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a game apparatus having a mechanism to drop an object one by one. In particular, this invention relates to a game apparatus having a mechanism to store spherical objects such as golf balls and drop them onto the ground one by one by mechanical means. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Men and women of all ages are enjoying the game of golf. Golf is a game to hit the ball having a diameter of about 4.3 cm (centimeter) on the ground with a lesser number of strokes to put the ball in a hole or cup on the green. 
     The game of golf can be roughly classified in its procedure into a process of placing the ball onto a green where a hole exits by using clubs like iron and wood, and a process of putting wherein the ball on a green is hit into the hole by using a putter. 
     When a player practices putting or plays putting as recreation, the player has to place a ball on the ground (placement). Hence, in order to practice putting ten (10) times, the player has to place the ball ten times. The routine of placing the ball is frustrating. Moreover, bending down to place a ball may pose significant difficulty for an elderly player or a player with a back pain. When a player practices putting with many balls, the player has to carry a container storing many balls such as a bag. 
     Thus, a means is desired to place a ball automatically without a player&#39;s action to bend over the ground to place a ball. A possible apparatus to achieve this objective can be classified into an apparatus mounting a spherical object drop mechanism to a club, and into an apparatus having a spherical object drop mechanism separately provided thereto. 
     If the apparatus to mount the spherical object drop mechanism independently from a golf club is to be used, the apparatus having the spherical object drop mechanism needs to be brought over with a player in addition to golf clubs. Moreover, when the spherical object drop mechanism is large, it must be fixed to a specific location on the ground and thus, the ball must be placed only on the same position. 
     For the apparatus to mount spherical object drop mechanism to a golf club is to be used, it is conceivable to place a ball on the ground with an electric powered mechanism. However, such a structure becomes complex, expensive and inconvenient since an electric power supply such as a battery must be used. 
     Thus, it is desirable to have a mechanism that allows ball placement on the desired position on the ground by mechanical means with simple structure and low cost. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a game apparatus that allows to drop spherical objects one by one to be placed on desired positions on the ground. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a game apparatus having a container to store spherical objects therein and a mechanism that allows one spherical object to be dropped while preventing other spherical objects from being dropped. 
     It is a further object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball game apparatus which integrally includes a mechanism for dropping a golf ball one by one on the ground and a storage container of golf balls. 
     The game apparatus of the present invention has a mechanism allowing to drop a spherical object one by one on the desired positions or spots on the ground. The spherical object drop mechanism includes: 
     a housing for storing a plurality of spherical objects to allow vertical movements of the spherical objects therein by their own weight; 
     a first stopper provided in the housing for stopping the vertical movement of the spherical objects; 
     a second stopper provided in the housing located at a lower location of the first stopper by the distance corresponding to the diameter of the spherical object for stopping the vertical movement or releasing the stop operation of the spherical objects; 
     a stopper drive means to operate the first stopper and the second stopper for stopping and releasing in the opposite way with each other; and 
     a knob to operate the stopper drive means from outside. 
     The game apparatus having the spherical object drop mechanism of the present invention enables to drop a ball one by one onto desired positions on the ground. Since the game apparatus of the present invention has a simple mechanical structure, it is strong and reliable requiring less maintenance, and can be produced economically with low cost. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overall outside appearance of the game apparatus of the present invention wherein the spherical object drop mechanism is attached to a golf club. 
     FIGS. 2A-2C are schematic cross sectional view showing the operation of the spherical object drop mechanism of the present invention. 
     FIG.  3 A and FIG. 3B are cross sectional views showing the inner structure of the spherical object drop mechanism of the present invention wherein the lowermost ball is caught (stopper is activated) by the mechanism. 
     FIG.  4 A and FIG. 4B are cross sectional views showing the inner structure of the spherical object drop mechanism of the present invention wherein the lowermost ball is dropped (stopper is released) from the mechanism. 
     FIGS. 5A and 5B are schematic top views showing the spherical object drop mechanism of the present invention to be attached to the golf club. 
     FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the spherical object drop mechanism of the present invention. 
     FIG. 7A is a cross sectional view showing a first example of stopper mounting structure of the spherical object drop mechanism of the present invention. FIG. 7B is a cross sectional view showing a second example of stopper mounting structure of the spherical object drop mechanism of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The spherical object drop mechanism of the present invention attached to a golf club is explained with reference to FIG.  1 . The spherical object drop mechanism  50  is fixed to a golf club  160  by, for example, screws (not shown). Namely, the spherical object drop mechanism  50  is connected to the golf club  160  in a manner to surround a club shaft  165  of the golf club at lower housings  52  and  54  and an upper support  114 . 
     Between the upper support  114  and the housings  52  and  54 , a ball guide  102  is provided to form an inner space. The inner space is to store spherical objects such as golf balls inserted from the insertion opening of the upper support. It is apparent that such an inner space for ball storage can be achieved by many other configurations, and the ball guide  102  in FIG. 1 is merely an example. 
     A handling bar  110  is provided in parallel to the guide rail  102 . The upper end of the handling bar  110  has a knob  112  to pull the handling bar  110  upward. When a user (player) pulls the knob  112 , the handling bar  110  also moves upward, and activates the stopper mechanisms in the spherical object drop mechanism  50 . Thus, the structure of the drop mechanism  50  is so configured as to drop a ball one by one onto the ground by pulling the knob  112 . 
     It is desirable to use lightweight and inexpensive material such as plastic for the spherical object drop mechanism  50  of the present invention so that the game apparatus as a whole may not become very heavy. By the game apparatus of the present invention, a user can grip the grip area  163  of the golf club to hit a ball on the ground by the club head  167  to enjoy the game or practice putting. 
     FIGS. 2A-2C are schematic cross sectional views showing the operation of the spherical object drop mechanism  50  of the present invention. In the example of FIG. 2, an upper stopper  10 A and a lower stopper  10 B are provided in the spherical object drop mechanism  50 . The relationship between these stoppers and balls  200  is shown in FIGS. 2A-2C. The stopper  10 A and stopper  10 B are made, for example, of straight wire. The configuration of the stopper is merely an example, and it is apparent that many other configurations can be utilized for the same purpose. 
     The distance between the upper stopper  10   a  and the lower stopper  10 B is established as the size corresponding to the spherical object to be used such as a golf ball. Hence, the distance is established so that only one spherical object can exist between the upper stopper  10 A and the lower stopper  10 B. As will be explained later, the upper stopper  10 A and the lower stopper  10 B operate in the opposite ways with each other (stopper active and stopper release). 
     The FIG. 2A shows the operation of the spherical object drop mechanism  50  of the present invention in a default condition. In this condition, the upper stopper  10 A is open (stopper release), and the lower stopper  10 B is closed (stopper active). Thus, the lower stopper  10 B prevents the ball from dropping onto the ground. The user can carry the game apparatus in this default condition to a desired location or wait for his or her turn to play. 
     The FIG. 2B shows the operation in the spherical object drop mechanism  50  wherein the user pulled the knob  112  (refer to FIG. 1) upward. By pulling the knob upward, the handling bar  110  moves upward as well, thereby driving a guide plate  32  (FIG.  3  and FIG. 4) to be explained later to activate the stoppers in the drop mechanism. Thus, the upper stopper  10 A closes for stopper activation, and the lower stopper  10 B opens for stopper release. Thus, only the lowermost ball  200  drops onto the ground while the other balls  200  that are positioned above the lowermost ball are prevented from moving by the upper stopper  10 A. and are not dropped to the ground. Thus, only the lowermost ball is dropped to the desired spot on the ground (FIG.  2 C). 
     FIG. 2C shows the condition of the spherical object drop mechanism  50  wherein the knob  112  is returned to the original position. By using, for example, springs, the inside of the drop mechanism  50  returns to the original position when the user releases the knob  112 . As described in the foregoing, the lowermost ball  200  is already positioned by being dropped onto the ground. As the knob  12  returns to the original position, the stoppers in the drop mechanism also return to the original condition that is identical to the condition shown in FIG. 2A (default condition). Thus, in the situation of FIG. 2A, the upper stopper  10 A is opened (stopper release), and the lower stopper  10 B is closed (stopper activation). Thus the balls  200  lower their positions within the drop mechanism in the distance corresponding to the diameter of a ball. By repeating the operation described above, spherical objects can be dropped one by one onto the ground. 
     As shown above, the ball guide  102  forms a space to store balls and guides the ball to the stopper mechanism in the vertical direction. In this example, the ball guide  102  is configured with a plurality of rod shaped members. However, other shapes are also possible for the ball guide such as a cylindrical shape or a conical shape. By storing several balls in the ball guide  102 , the balls can be conveniently carried along with a golf club. Thus, the balls can be positioned on the ground without requiring the user to bend his or her back. 
     By the stopper mechanism provided in the spherical object drop mechanism  50  of the present invention, the ball can be dropped one by one as shown in FIGS. 2A-2C as described above. The structure and operation of the spherical object drop mechanism  50  of the present invention is explained in more detail with reference to FIGS. 3-7. 
     FIG.  3 A and FIG. 3B show the structure of the stoppers in situation corresponding to that shown in FIG.  2 A and FIG. 2C, i.e., the default condition. In this situation, the upper stopper  10 A is opened (stopper release), and the lower stopper  10 B is closed (stopper activated). As shown in the exploded view of FIG. 6, in the spherical object drop mechanism  50  of the present invention, the guide plate  32  is placed in the housing  54 . FIG. 3A shows the guide plate  32  for setting the stoppers in the default condition, and FIG. 3B shows the housing  54 . 
     FIG.  4 A and FIG. 4B show the condition of the stoppers wherein the knob  112  is pulled upward by the user as shown in FIG.  2 B. In this condition, The upper stopper  10 A is closed (stopper activation), and the lower stopper  10 B is opened (stopper release). FIG. 4A shows the guide plate  32  setting the stoppers to drop the lowermost ball, and FIG. 4B shows the housing  54 . 
     As described above, FIGS. 3A and 3B show the condition wherein the knob  112  is not pulled upward (thus in the default condition) as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2C. The lowermost ball  200  to be dropped is prevented from being dropped by the closed lower stopper  10 B. Since the upper stopper  10 A is released and is open, the balls above the lowermost balls are on the lowermost ball. 
     In FIG. 3A, the guide plate  32  is comprised of a stopper guide gap  33  to control the operation of the upper stopper  10 A, a stopper guide gap  35  to control the operation of the lower stopper  10 B, a spring storage gap  37  to install therein a spring  40  such as a spring coil, and a top portion  36  linking to the handling bar  110 . 
     In FIG. 3B, the housing  54  is box-shaped to receive the guide plate  32  therein, and is provided with the spring  40  and stopper slits  12 . In FIGS. 3A and 3B, the ball guide  102  and the knob  112  are omitted. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the ends of the upper stopper  10 A and lower stopper  10 B are inserted in the stopper guide gaps  33  and  35  of the guide plate  32 , respectively. The other ends of the upper stopper  10 A and the lower stopper  10 B are fixed to the housing  52  shown in FIG. 6 or FIG.  7 A through attachment holes (not shown). 
     Before proceeding the explanation with regard to FIGS. 3 and 4, an overall structure of the spherical object drop mechanism  50  of the present invention is explained with reference to the exploded view of FIG.  6 . As shown in FIG. 6, the spherical object drop mechanism  50  of the present invention is comprised of the housing  52  and  54 , an attachment plate  62 , the guide plate  32 , and a cover  42 . The attachment plate  62  covers the shaft  165  of the golf club with the housing  52  for attachment. In this example, the housing  52  and the housing  54  separately provided are attached with each other. However, they can also be integrally constructed as one unit. The cover  42  fixes the guide plate  32  in the housing  54 . 
     The stopper slits  12  running in horizontal direction described in the foregoing are provided to the housing  54 . As the guide plate  32  moves in the vertical direction, the upper stopper  10 A and the lower stopper  10 B move in horizontal direction through the stopper slits  12 . The other ends of the upper stopper  10 A and the lower stopper  10 B, i.e., the left ends of the stoppers in FIG. 6, are fixed to the housing by suitable means. The upper stopper  10 A and the lower stopper  10 B are made of, for example, metal with elastic property. Hence, the inner ends of the upper stopper  10 A and the lower stopper  10 B are stationary due to the fixation to the housing while the other ends inserted in the guide plate  32  and the stopper slits  12  move in the horizontal direction through the stopper slits  12 , thereby achieving the opening and closing movements of the stopper  10 A and the stopper  10 B. 
     As shown in FIG.  3  and FIG. 6, the upper stopper  10 A and lower stopper  10 B can move only in the horizontal direction while being prevented from the vertical direction movement since the stopper slits  12  extend in the horizontal direction. Thus, in the condition shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the upper stopper  10 A is located at the slanted portion of the stopper guide gap  33  in the guide plate  32 , and is located at the outer side of the stopper slit  12 . As consequence, the upper stopper  10 A is released. On the other hand, the lower stopper  10 B is located at the vertical portion of the stopper guide gap  33  in the guide plate  32 , and is located at the inner side of the stopper slit  12 . Accordingly, the upper stopper  10 A is closed. In other words, the vertical movement of the guide plate  32  is converted to the horizontal movement of the upper stopper  10 A and the lower stopper  10 B. 
     In FIGS. 3A and 3B, the upper stopper  10 A and the lower stopper  10 B fitted in the guide gaps of the guide plate  32  in FIG. 3A are in the same vertical positions as that of the upper stopper  10 A and the lower stopper  10 B fitted in the stopper slits  12  in FIG.  3 B. As shown above, the upper stopper  10 A is located at the slanted portion of the guide gap  33 . Due to the horizontal movement through the slit  12 , the upper stopper  10 A opens. Conversely, the lower stopper  10 B located at the vertical portion of the stopper guide gap  35  will close. Since the balls are prevented from free passage, they will not drop from the drop mechanism  53 . 
     FIG. 5A shows the stoppers in the condition of FIGS. 3A and 3B seen from the top of the housings  52  and  54 . For the ease of explanation and simplicity, the ball  200  are not shown in Figure SA. As shown in FIG. 5A, the lower stopper  10 B is closed, and the ball is prevented from being dropped onto the ground. The upper stopper  10 A is opened that allows enough opening for the passage of the balls. Thus, the balls above the lowermost ball can freely go therethrough. 
     Referring to FIG. 4, the operation of the spherical object drop mechanism  53  when dropping the ball is described in more detail. FIGS. 4A and 4B show the condition of the stoppers wherein the upper stopper  10 A is closed and the lower stopper  10 B is opened to drop the lowermost ball when the knob  112  is pulled upward as shown in FIG.  2 B. FIG. 4A shows the relationship between the stoppers and the guide plate  32 , and FIG. 4B shows the relationship between the stoppers and the stopper slits  12 . 
     As shown in FIG. 4A, the guide plate  32  is pulled upward in the housing  54 . The upper stopper  10 A and the lower stopper  10 B are so positioned as to open the upper stopper  10 A and the lower stopper  10 B. Thus, the upper stopper  10 A is positioned in the inner vertical portion of the stopper guide gap  33 . This movement is converted to the horizontal movement by the stopper slits  12  shown in FIG. 4B, thereby closing the upper stopper  10 A. Since the passage of the ball is prohibited, the balls above the lowermost ball will not drop from the drop mechanism. 
     The lower stopper  10 B is located at the slanted outer portion of the stopper guide gap  35 . When this movement is converted to horizontal movement by the stopper slit  12  shown in FIG. 4B, the lower stopper  10 B opens. Thus, the lowermost ball  200  drops to the ground by the gravity. As described above, the upper stopper  10 A is closed to prevent other balls from dropping, and only the lowermost ball is dropped to the ground. 
     FIG. 5B is a top view showing the operation of dropping the ball as viewed from the top of the housings  52  and  54 . For the ease of explanation and simplicity, the ball  200  is not shown in FIG.  5 B. As shown in FIG. 5B, the upper stopper  10 A is closed, thereby preventing the balls above the lowermost ball from dropping on the ground. The lower stopper  10 B is opened to allow enough space for the passage of the lowermost ball. Thus, only the lowermost ball drops to the ground by the gravity. 
     After the lowermost ball is dropped, the guide plate  32  moves downward to return to the original position (default position). FIG. 2C shows this condition wherein one ball is positioned on the ground and the remaining balls go down one step within the drop mechanism  53 . The upper stopper  10 A is positioned in the slanted outer portion of the stopper  33 . When this movement is converted to the horizontal movement, the upper stopper  10 A opens. Hence the balls above the lowermost ball can freely go through. The lower stopper  10 B is located to the inner vertical portion of the stopper guide gap  35 . When converted to the horizontal movement, the lower stopper  10 B closes. Thus, the balls  200  go one step down within the drop mechanism  50 . This condition is identical to the one shown in FIG.  3 . The top view of the housings  52  and  54  is identical to the one in FIG.  5 A. 
     By repeating the operation described in the foregoing, the spherical object drop mechanism  50  can drop the balls one by one onto the ground. Since the game apparatus of the present invention has a simple mechanical structure, it is strong and reliable requiring less maintenance, and can be produced economically with low cost. 
     Although only a preferred embodiment is specifically illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated that many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings and within the purview of the appended claims without departing the spirit and intended scope of the invention.