Patent Document

[0001]     This application claims the benefit of provisional application Ser. No. 60/703,212 filed Jul. 28, 2005. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates to article carriers disposed at the rear of golf carts. Particularly, the invention described herein is a golf cart-mountable rack for carrying golf bags or other articles, wherein the shelf-like carrier can be easily removed from a base to safely and aesthetically allow the golf cart to be used for everyday activities when the carrier is not needed.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0005]     Known in the art are golf bag holding devices which are mounted to the rear of golf carts. There exist a variety of golf bag racks and trailer devices which are either attachable to vehicle hitches, or attachable and detachable directly at the rear of the golf cart, for instance by being bolted directly to the cart. The article carriers obviously facilitate the transportation of articles such as golf bags should a golfer choose to use a golf cart on a golf course instead of walking and carrying a bag.  
         [0006]     In contrast to their typical use as golfer aids, golf carts are prevalent and are the sole means of transportation in what are commonly referred to as golf-cart communities, such as in areas of Florida and Arizona in the United States of America. Local residents and others rely on golf carts instead of full-size motor vehicles for everyday activities, and in some instances, large motor vehicles are even prohibited. For instance such activities may not only be golf, but may also be travel to the grocery store and other events.  
         [0007]     There is a need for an article-carrying assembly which can not only be used for transporting a variety of articles, including golf bags, but which also can easily be removed when not necessary. The bulky metal components of typical racks and holders can be sharp and intrusive, and they further can add unsafe weight to the vehicles. For everyday use, it would be beneficial if the article carrier portion of the golf cart rack could be simply lifted and slid away from the cart when the carrier is not needed. Accidental contact and resulting injury to a person and/or harm to clothing can occur when a passer-by brushes by the bulky, sharp portions of the carrier. The present configuration enhances the safety and also the aesthetic appearance of the golf cart, and further allows the carrier to be re-attached without the use of additional hardware, thereby easing the assembly and disassembly before or after a golf event. The present invention further retains the articles being carried from the rear of the golf cart and not directly on the golf cart floor, allowing more space for rear-seated passengers in four-person golf carts.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     Accordingly, what is provided is a removable article carrier for a golf cart, comprising a support rack having parallel, vertical rack arms which join to form a rounded rack top adapted to situate on the rounded top of a base. A horizontal distal bar is attached at the rear edges of the rack arms near the rounded top of the support rack; a horizontal medial bar is medially attached at the front edges of the rack arms, and a horizontal proximal bar is attached at the rear edges of the rack arms near the bottom of the support rack; wherein the article carrier may be slid over the top of the base such that the vertical members and rounded top of the base slide over the proximal bar, under the medial bar, then over the distal bar to removably hold the article carrier in place on the base by gravity. To remove the article carrier, the article carrier can simply be lifted upward and off of the base, leaving only the base attached to the golf cart.  
         [0009]     A horizontal crossbar is attached to the support rack of the article carrier, to which a bag holding apparatus may be attached. The article carrier further includes a shelf attached at the bottom thereof which allows articles such as golf bags to be situated thereon and then strapped to the article carrier using the straps of the bag holding apparatus. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of the typical base.  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  shows a perspective view showing the base mounted to the underside of the golf cart.  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of the article carrier.  
         [0013]      FIG. 3   a  shows a perspective view of the article carrier being placed onto the attached base on the golf cart.  
         [0014]      FIG. 4  shows a top view of the shelf of the article carrier.  
         [0015]      FIG. 5  shows a bottom view of the shelf of the article carrier.  
         [0016]      FIG. 6  shows a front view of the article carrier.  
         [0017]      FIG. 7  shows a side view of the article carrier.  
         [0018]      FIG. 8  shows a perspective view of the bag holder attachable to the support rack of the article carrier.  
         [0019]      FIG. 9  shows a top view of the bag holder.  
         [0020]      FIG. 10  shows a perspective view of the article carrier in use on the base as the entire rack assembly is fixed to the golf cart. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0021]     The invention will now be described in detail in relation to a preferred embodiment and implementation thereof which is exemplary in nature and descriptively specific as disclosed. As is customary, it will be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. The invention encompasses such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated method, and such further applications of the principles of the invention illustrated herein, as would normally occur to persons skilled in the art to which the invention relates.  
         [0022]     With reference then to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , shown is the base  10 . Similar to the shape of a horseshoe, the base  10  has a pair of parallel, vertical members  14 a which curve and join at their distal ends  18  to form a rounded top  12 . Integrally formed to the vertical members  14   a  are the horizontal members  14   b.  As termed herein, the horizontal members  14   b  and vertical members  14   a  make up the L-shaped arms  14  of the base  10 . The L-shaped arms  14  can be held more rigid by using a rigid support plate  13  fixed near the proximal ends  19  of the horizontal members  14   b,  and/or by also including a rigid base plate  11  connected to the vertical members  14   a.   
         [0023]     A mounting bracket  16  is fixed to each of the horizontal members  14   b,  preferably near the transition point  15  from horizontal to vertical, although the exact location may vary depending on the design of the golf cart  2 . The mounting brackets  16  facilitate the attachment of the base  10  to the golf cart  2  underbody. For instance, bolts (not shown) may be inserted through holes  17  of the mounting brackets  16 , and the base  10  can be bolted underneath the rear  22  of the golf cart  2  near the bumper  20  (see  FIG. 2 ). If not bolted directly to the bumper  20 , it is typical for there to be accommodating metal components underneath the rear of the golf cart for allowing the base  10  to be attached thereto in similar fashion. It is also fairly typical for the base  10  to come pre-installed with the golf cart  2 . In use then, base  10  is fixed to the golf cart  2  to be upstanding from the golf cart bumper  20 .  
         [0024]     With reference then to  FIGS. 1-10 , the article carrier  3  includes a support rack  30  made up of a pair of rigid, parallel rack arms  32 . Similar to the base  10 , the rack arms  32  curve and join to form a rounded rack top  39 . The rack arms  32  have a rack arm front edge  34  and a rack arm rear edge  33 .  
         [0025]     A shelf  36  is fixed to the bottom of the support rack  30 . Shown in this embodiment and not limited thereto, the shelf  36  is generally rectangular with its surface comprising an aluminum grate. The grate can be made out of other materials, other than aluminum. The shelf  36  acts as a means for situating the bottom of articles such as grocery bags or golf bags thereon. The shelf underside  50  may include additional supporting means such as metal beams  51 . As shown, metal beams  51  are arranged on the underside  50  of shelf  36  about the perimeter of underside  50  and also angularly spanning a width of the underside  50 . The supporting means may also be arranged in any other manner depending on weight and supporting needs, such as by using a criss-cross configuration or generally linear configuration (not shown).  
         [0026]     Any articles may further be secured to the article carrier  3  and/or shelf  36  by means of the cross bar  31 . The cross bar  31  is a horizontal bar attached to the support rack  30  near the rack top  39 . The crossbar  31  can have attached thereto any means for securing the top portions of articles, such as golf bags. Such means may include the strap assembly shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9  for example. This bag holder  80  generally contains straps  81  which can be buckled down using buckles  82  after encircling a golf bag or other article. The bag holder  80  can be attached by being screwed or bolted to the crossbar for example. The crossbar  31  is also suited to aid in the placement and removal of the article carrier  3  when no other handle means are included on the article carrier  3 .  
         [0027]     Further on the article carrier  3  and with reference particularly to  FIGS. 3 and 6 , a horizontal distal bar  37  spans the width formed by the rack arms  32  and is perpendicularly fixed to the rack arm rear edge  33  (or at slight angles if decoratively desired), proximate to the rack top  39 . A medial bar  35  also spans the width formed by the rack arms  32  and is horizontally displaced perpendicular to the rack arms  32 . However, the medial bar  35  is fixed to the rack arm front edge  34  as opposed to the rear edge  33 , and it is generally medially situated along the rack arms  32 . A horizontal proximal bar  38  is horizontally situated near the bottom of the rack arms  32  and fixed to the rack arm rear edge  33  in similar position as the distal bar  37 . As a result of this configuration, the support rack  30  can be retained on base  10  by gravity. The article carrier  3  is retained on base  10  with the vertical members  14 a of base  10  situated between the bars, as follows.  
         [0028]     In use then, base  10  is bolted or otherwise mounted to the underside of the golf cart  2 , near the rear bumper  20 . The article carrier  3 , with or without the bag holder  80  (depending on what is being carried), is then lifted up over the rounded top  12  of base  10  and the base  10  is allowed to penetrate into the support rack  30 , passing over the proximal bar  38 , under the medial bar, then over the distal bar  37  until the rack top  39  of the article carrier  3  rests in an unattached manner on the rounded top  12  of base  10 . By being unattached but still retained on the base  10  by gravity during use, the article carrier  3  can subsequently be lifted off and removed from the base when not needed. Although not shown, a handle, strap, angle brace, or other type of attachment may be mounted to the article carrier  3  to aid in the removal and attachment of the article carrier  3  to the base  10 . For example a handle or strap may be positioned on the side of the article carrier  3  or a rigid, angular brace may be fixed between the support rack  30  and shelf  36 .  
         [0029]     Without the article carrier  3 , golf cart weight is minimized, and importantly, only the slim rounded base is exposed at the rear of the golf cart  2  instead of the bulky, sharp-cornered and sharp-edged portions of the article carrier  3 , resulting in both an aesthetically pleasing appearance of the golf cart  2  and a safer rear end  22 . Additionally, and as shown in  FIG. 10 , the present invention retains the carried articles off the rear  22  of the golf cart  2  and not directly on the golf cart floor, allowing more space for rear-seated passengers in four-person golf carts.

Technology Category: b