Patent ID: 7230212

Claim:
A golf heating appliance comprising a thermally conductive receptacle and a non-thermally conductive receptacle, each receptacle having the same number of a plurality of semi-spherical cavities each cavity for receiving one of a plurality of golf balls, one of said receptacles comprising a thermally conductive material capable of delivering at least about 4.5 Btu/hr in 2 to a golf ball in each of said cavities and the other of said receptacles comprising a substantially non-thermally conductive material, wherein said cavities in said thermally conductive receptacle are opposite and facing said cavities in said non-thermally conductive receptacle, and wherein each of said semi-spherical cavities are dimensioned to make physical contact with at least a portion of the exterior surface of a golf ball, and wherein said opposite and facing cavities form a spherical cavity making contact with a major amount of the golf ball surface therein and wherein the facing surfaces of the upper and lower receptacles are in substantial contact when said apparatus is closed, and one or more resistive heater elements in thermal contact with only the thermally conductive receptacle, said heater element having a capability of supplying between about 4 watts and about 25 watts per golf ball, and wherein said one or more heater elements and said receptacle are capable of heating said plurality of golf balls from ambient temperature of about 30° C. or less to an average temperature of between about 40° C. and about 55° C. in 30 minutes or less.