Patent ID: 7686710

Claim:
A golf divot repair tool including (a) a housing including (i) a top housing plate ( 12 ) with at least one slot ( 15 , 17 ) formed therein, and (ii) a bottom housing plate ( 13 ) including an elongate detent ( 42 ) with a bottom ( 43 ), and at least one pie-shaped opening ( 44 , 45 ) adjacent said bottom ( 43 ); (b) a golf green-manipulating member ( 11 ) having (i) a base, (ii) a pair of spaced apart prongs attached to and extending from said base, (iii) a first contact surface edge ( 47 ) on said base, (iv) a second contact surface edge ( 48 ) on said base spaced apart from said first contact edge, said member mounted in said housing for movement between at least two operative positions, (v) a stowed position inside said housing, and (vi) a deployed position with said prongs extending away from said housing; (c) a control unit slidably mounted in said detent ( 42 ) in said housing, slidably contacting said bottom ( 43 ), and including (i) at least one operative member ( 30 , 31 ) slidably mounted adjacent said green-manipulating member and including a third peripheral contact surface ( 37 ), (ii) a L-shaped member ( 50 ) including a leg ( 52 ) and a foot ( 51 ) extending outwardly from said leg ( 52 ) and contacting one of said contact edges ( 47 , 48 ) on said base of said green-manipulating member, (iii) a spring ( 60 ) interconnecting said member ( 30 , 31 ) and said leg ( 52 ) of said L-shaped member, and (iv) a slide ( 14 , 16 ) mounted on said housing and extending through said slot to said operative member, said slide manually slidably displaceable along said slot to displace slidably said operative member ( 30 , 31 ) of said control unit along said bottom ( 43 ) from a preliminary operative position to a secondary operative position to tension and extend said spring to generate a force on said L-shaped member that acts against said one of said contact edges on said base to slidably displace said operative body, and said green manipulating member from said stowed position to said deployed position; and, (d) a latch plate ( 72 ) pivotally mounted in said pie-shaped opening ( 44 , 45 ); (e) a compressed spring ( 63 ) mounted in said pie-shaped opening ( 44 , 45 ), and contacting and operatively associated with said latch plate ( 72 ) and said pie-shaped opening to permit said latch plate to move between two operative positions, (i) a first operative position with said latch plate ( 72 ) inwardly displaced by said compressed spring ( 63 ) to contact said second contact surface edge ( 48 ) to maintain said member ( 11 ) in said deployed position, and (ii) a second operative position with said latch plate ( 72 ) outwardly displaced by said third contact surface ( 37 ) when said member ( 30 , 31 ) is in said preliminary operative position to disengage said latch plate ( 72 ) from said second contact surface edge ( 48 ) and permit said member ( 11 ) to move from said deployed to said stowed position.