Games using tangible projectile – Golf – Target or obstacle
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-07
2001-02-27
Graham, Mark S. (Department: 3711)
Games using tangible projectile
Golf
Target or obstacle
C473S178000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06193613
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a golf putting practice device and more particularly to such a practice device that fits into the floor duct of a forced air circulation system of a building and has a ball return mechanism.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A wide variety of golf putting practice devices are known in the prior art. Many such devices are designed to sit on the surface of a floor for putting practice and include a ball return mechanism that returns a ball back to the user after a successful putt. Although, such devices are useful for putting practice, they include a ramped sidewall that leads up to a simulated putting cup and, therefore, are not truly representative of putting on a golf green.
To overcome the deficiency of ramped golf practice devices, prior art practice devices have been developed that are adapted to fit into the floor duct of a forced air circulation system of a building such as those disclosed in U.S. Patents to Birchler, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,063; Ridge, U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,405 and Frotten, U.S. Pat. No. 5,620,375. The golf practice devices disclosed in these patents substantially eliminate the need for a ramped sidewall, but they all are formed from flat support plates that surround a ball receiving portion of the device, which flat plates provide an obstruction to such portion.
To lessen this problem, the Frotten patent discloses a golf practice device fabricated of a resilient material so that the device can be installed in a floor duct by bending the support plate for insertion underneath the carpet surrounding the duct. Although such configuration is an improvement in reducing obstruction to the ball receiving portion, the Frotten practice device cannot readily be moved from one vent to another and depending on the thickness of the carpet under which it is installed, the path to the cup is not completely level. Moreover, none of these in-floor devices include a ball return mechanism.
The present invention is designed to provide a golf putting practice device that overcomes the deficiencies of the foregoing prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a golf putting practice device adapted to serve as a substitute for a floor vent that fits into a floor duct of a forced air circulation system of a building. The practice device includes a generally cup shaped ball receiving means having a bottom wall and two opposite sidewalls that are each attached to a flat support plate member extended perpendicularly outward from the sidewall upper portions. The bottom wall is associated with a ball return means for ejecting a golf ball from the receiving means.
The front wall of the ball receiving means further includes an upper notched portion that provides a golf ball open access to the receiving means and the plate members include a plurality of apertures for the passage of air therethrough. Preferably, the support plate members are generally equal in size so that the ball receiving means is located medially of the practice device. The support plate members and ball receiving means are sized so that the device generally conforms to the size of the floor duct in which it is to be installed. The support plate members further include a peripheral flange that overlies the circumference of the floor duct to support the device on the floor.
The foregoing and other advantages of the present invention will appear from the following description. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which there is shown by illustration, and not of limitation, a specific form in which the invention may be embodied. Such embodiment does not represent the full scope of the invention, but rather the invention may be employed in a variety of embodiments, and reference is made to the claims herein for interpreting the breadth of the invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3310312 (1967-03-01), Peeples
patent: 3897059 (1975-07-01), McCulloch et al.
patent: 4563009 (1986-01-01), Nagasaki et al.
patent: 5120063 (1992-06-01), Birchler
patent: 5205559 (1993-04-01), Plopper
patent: 5275405 (1994-01-01), Ridge
patent: 5620375 (1997-04-01), Frotten
patent: 5997407 (1999-12-01), Alexandres
Graham Mark S.
Pingel G. Brian
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