Special receptacle or package – For a sport implement – exercise device – or game – For a golf club
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-20
2002-08-20
Young, Lee (Department: 3727)
Special receptacle or package
For a sport implement, exercise device, or game
For a golf club
C248S096000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06435345
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a golf bag designed to be carried by a golfer and which is self-supporting in both an upright, vertical orientation and in an inclined orientation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Golf bags having retractable legs to allow the bag to be supported in an inclined orientation have been available for many years. The purpose of providing a golf bag with retractable supporting legs is to allow the bag to the supported in a stable orientation in which the tubular body of the bag resides at an incline relative to the surface upon which the bag is placed. The deployed legs, together with the tubular body of the bag, provide a very stable, tripod type of support in which the clubs are easily visible to the golfer and in which they can be easily pulled from and returned to the tubular body.
The biggest problem with golf bags having retractable legs is that the operating mechanisms that deploy and retract the legs frequently do not function properly. The golfer is often forced to repeatedly perform the manual actuating manipulation that is necessary to deploy or retract the legs, and to exert considerable force in doing so. This is both frustrating and annoying to the golfer. Moreover, because golfers must devote an inordinate amount of attention to ensuring that the retractable legs of their golf bag are properly deploy and returned, their concentration is impaired and their attention is distracted from performing the proper actions in executing their golf strokes.
One conventional golf bag with retractable supporting legs of this type is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,567. In this device a hinged driving plate is provided at the bottom of the bag and is located entirely beneath the body of the bag. Pressure upon the upper end of the bag above the hinge plate causes the tubular body of the bag to rotate relative to the driving plate, thereby causing the elongated, configured spring to push outwardly upon retractable legs which are hinged at the top of the bag. Thus, as the body of the bag is tilted relative to the driving plate, the retractable legs are pushed out away from the body of the bag to support it in a tripod fashion.
While this system is advantageous in theory, as a practical matter it presents problems. Specifically, a very considerable amount of force is required to actuate the mechanism that pushes the legs out away from the bag due to the poor leverage that exists in the actuating mechanism. Also, frequently the driving plate does not rotate freely relative to the base at the bottom of the body of the bag, thereby resulting in binding of the hinge mechanism. A further disadvantage of the system disclosed in this patent is that the bag is not stable when positioned in a vertically upright orientation. To the contrary, it easily tips over when in this position.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a uniquely configured operating mechanism that reliably deploys and retracts the retractable legs of a golf bag with a minimum of effort on the part of the golfer. Furthermore, the operating mechanism of the present invention is designed to avoid the problems of binding and malfunctioning that plague conventional deployment mechanisms. In addition, the golf bag of the present invention has far greater stability when positioned upright and on end in a vertical orientation as contrasted with conventional golf bags having retractable legs.
In one broad aspect the present invention may be defined as a golf bag comprising an elongated tubular body for storage of golf equipment, a stiff base member, an actuation plate hinged to the base member, a wire spring spreader rod, and a pair of elongated retractable legs. The tubular body has a longitudinal alignment, an open upper end, and a closed lower end. The stiff base member is located at the closed end of the body and defines a sole perpendicular to the longitudinal alignment of the tubular body for supporting the body in an upright orientation. The base member also defines a heel sloping upwardly and outwardly from the sole for supporting the body in an inclined orientation. The base member includes a transverse, linear hinge interface terminating in knuckle joints at its opposing ends. The hinge interface delineates the sole and heel from each other.
The actuation plate has knuckle joints that fit in between the knuckle joints of the base member. The actuation plate is joined to the base member at the linear hinge interface and extends laterally outwardly away from the linear hinge interface and protrudes beyond the tubular body a distance of at least one inch.
The actuation plate is equipped with a leg spreader hinge bracket located outboard from the body and defining a spreader axis of rotation parallel to the linear hinge interface. The hinged ends of the legs are joined to the body at the upper end thereof and at locations directly above the protruding portion of the actuation plate. The legs have free ends that are rotatable to reside alongside the body and alternatively to project outwardly and downwardly therefrom.
The spring wire spreader rod includes a linear, central bight captured by the spreader hinge bracket and parallel to the linear hinge interface. The spreader rod also includes a pair of spreader arms extending upwardly from opposite ends of the bight. The spreader arms have lower portions that are angled upwardly and inwardly from the body and upper portions that are angled upwardly and outwardly away from the body. The spring wire spreader rod also includes transversely directed tips engaged with the legs at connections below the upper end of the body.
The invention may also be described as a golf bag comprising: a longitudinally oriented tubular body, a rigid base at the lower extremity of the tubular body, a flat stand deployment plate, a stand formed by a pair of elongated legs rotatably secured to the tubular body, a leg spreader, and an adjustable sleeve positioned at a selected location on each of the legs.
The rigid base defines a pair of downwardly disposed, flat support surfaces meeting at a transverse demarcation. A first one of the downwardly disposed flat surfaces is perpendicular to the longitudinally oriented tubular body. The other, second one of the downwardly disposed flat surfaces is inclined relative to the longitudinally oriented tubular body. This second surface is inclined upwardly and outwardly from the first one of the flat surfaces. The flat surfaces meet at a linear, transverse demarcation. A plurality of knuckle joints are formed on the base at opposing ends of the demarcation.
The flat stand deployment plate has a plurality of knuckle joints that are interleaved with the knuckle joints of the base to form a leaf hinge connection. The stand deployment plate projects outwardly beyond the second, inclined surface of the base at distance of at least one inch and has a spreader hinge coupling oriented parallel to the demarcation at its extremity remote from the demarcation.
The legs of the stand are rotatably secured to the tubular body at the upper extremity thereof, remote from the base for rotation outwardly from the tubular body and in diverging fashion away from each other. The leg spreader is comprised of a central bight captured by and rotatable relative to the spreader hinge coupling, and a pair of elongated arms extending from the bight. Each arm has a first upwardly and outwardly extending transition segment, and a second lower segment extending upwardly and inwardly from the first transition segment. The first and second segments form an obtuse angle relative to each other facing the tubular body. A third, elongated upper segment extends upwardly and outwardly from the second segment. The second and third segments of each elongated arm form a reflex angle relative to each other and facing the tubular body. The elongated arms each include a fourth tip segment extending transversely outwardly from the third segments, preferably outboard of the legs.
An adjustable sleeve is positi
King Power Enterprise, Inc.
Mai Tri M.
Thomas Charles H.
Young Lee
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