Golf ball grabber
A telescoping retractable assistive device for grabbing or picking-up golf balls is disclosed. The device comprises an elongate shaft having multiple sections. The length of the elongate shaft may be adjusted for compact storage or to extend the reach of the user. The elongated shaft is attached to a cup with a diameter sized to allow engagement with the top outside surface of a golf ball. The cup may be made of a resilient material which expands or contracts slightly upon engagement with the golf ball. In the preferred embodiment, the cup is translucent or clear to further improve direction and engagement with the ball. With this device, a golf ball lying on the golf course can be picked-up by the user standing on the golf course or sitting in a golf cart.
(Not Applicable)
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENTNo federal funds were used to develop or create the invention disclosed and described in the patent application.
REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISK APPENDIX(Not Applicable)
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to assistive devices and more particularly to a portable device useful for increasing the reach and comfort of a golfer. Generally, these devices share several characteristics such as extending the user's reach and grabbing or picking-up a golf ball. Additionally, the devices are used either while standing on the course or sitting in a golf cart. Several patents, as discussed below, are worth review with regard to this invention.
1. U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,515 ('515) issued to Hall teaches a handle and a cup with a closed end and an open end. The cup element as claimed has compressible material that expands and contracts to hold the golf ball. Both a straight and offset handle are taught.
2. U.S. Pat. No. 6,572,166 ('166) issued to Cash teaches using a suction cup or cup like device to fit over the golf ball for retrieval. In the patent '166 itself, there is a discussion of the numerous prior art teachings covering various forms of retrieval devices. The device as taught by Cash has a straight handle. This patent is limited in light of Hall by both the notch in the cup and the pin going through the cup that limits outward expansion of the sidewalls of the cup. Cash goes on to describe and claim a telescoping handle. The Cash patent does not describe a “locking” telescoping feature.
3. U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,488 issued to Richmond teaches using a suction cup like head. It does not, however, teach a straight handle, but only a handle having a forty-five (45) degree angle.
4. U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,598 ('598) issued to Bredow teaches the use of a telescoping handle. The handle is at an angle to the cup. The cup portion of the device as described is open on both the top and bottom. Additionally, the cup is sized to just allow the ball into the cup. Many patents share this size attribute. Bredow restricts the length of the grabber to “no more than a normal club to store in golf bag.”
5. U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,288 ('288) issued to Pasternak does not teach a golf ball retrieving device. It does, however, suggest that the handle as disclosed and claimed could be “utilized as a means of extending the reach and use of a variety of utility devices such as golf ball retrievers. A golf ball retriever as defined by Brett Kelley in “Your Guide to Golf” is “a utensil most commonly carried, naturally, by players who hit a lot of golf balls into the water. It's essentially a long pole with a small scoop on the end that allows a player to reach into a water hazard to retrieve golf balls that would otherwise be lost.” Golf ball retrievers as described and suggested by Pasternak are for the extension of the golfer's reach so that the golfer may retrieve their ball from a golf obstacle such as a water hazard, sand trap or rough. Retrievers as described and suggested by Pasternak are too long and clumsy for continuous use on the golf course to grab or pick-up a ball from the course.
The prior art found in this area suffers from numerous problems as illustrated by the patents. The use of an off-set handle increases the difficulty in grabbing the ball. All embodiments of the prior art are clumsy to carry. None of the devices is compact when not in use. The devices as taught if they were to fit in a golfer's bag would probably displace a club from the bag. None of the prior art is so compact to fit in a side bag of the golf or easily fit in the back pocket of the golfer. Additionally, none of the prior art cited herein teaches any sort of arrangement to facilitate sighting the grabber over the ball.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe invention as described and disclosed herein has numerous advantages over the prior art herein. The invention is compact enough, when retracted, to fit into the typical golf bag side pocket. The invention is easy to use while seated in a golf cart because the invention's compactness reduces the clumsiness inherent with the prior art. Furthermore, the close proximity to the ball allows better control. A straight handle ensures the golfer can position and deliver the grabber directly over the ball. As designed the grabber is easier to use than the prior art because no scooping or rolling of the golf ball is necessary to engage the golf ball with the invention. The shape or curve of cup and the ball ensure a natural interaction, further aiding the user.
The embodiment with a clear or translucent cup for grabbing the ball further increases the eye hand coordination thus allowing better finite control in grabbing the golf ball. Another feature found in the disclosed design is the lip around the top edge of the cup portion of the invention. The combination of the size of the cup and the lip negates the need for complete engulfment of the golf ball to secure a proper mating of the golf ball and the cup. This ensures the user has plenty of ball surface for contact and retraction of the golf ball from the grabber.
The locking and telescoping feature of the invention allows the length of the extended ball grabber to be varied. A simple twist of the cam lock to allows the ball grabber to be locked in position. With another simple twist allows the cam lock to be unlocked for retraction and compaction. The inventor recognizes that golfers come in different sizes so golf ball grabbers should too. The addition of cushioned grip and wrist strap increases comfort, portability, and security respectively.
As described, the invention can be used by golfers standing on the course or by golfers in golf carts which saves the golfer time. Additionally, as described the invention is useful for users having various physical and generalized limitations such as back or shoulder pain, arthritis and hip or knee replacement surgery just to name a few examples. The addition of a cushioned grip and wrist strap increase the ergonomics and comfort of the invention both in application and use, especially during retraction.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a golf ball grabber that is compact in size when not in use but extendable when in use.
It is another object of the invention for users to adjust and extend the length.
It is another object of the invention for the user to be able to lock the invention in the adjusted, extended position.
It is also an object of the invention for users to use it either in or out of a golf cart.
It is also an object of the present invention for the translucent or clear nature of the cup to allow the user to better direct engagement between the golf ball and the invention.
It is also object of the present invention to aid in the comfort and control of the user in both extended and retracted forms.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSFor a better understanding of the present invention, reference is to be made to the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the precise arrangement shown in the drawings.
Reference is first made to
In this embodiment, as in
The compression lock mechanism is composed of a compression locking cap interface 15, compression locking cap 19, and compression ring 27. The compression locking cap interface 15 is located on the exterior of the second end of the fixed first stage storage tube 2. The compression ring 27 rests on the exterior of the first end of the final extension tube 4 as does the compression locking cap 19. The first end of the final extension tube 4 is placed inside the second end of the fixed first stage storage tube 2. The locking cap 19 then engages the locking cap interface 15. When the locking cap 19 is turned to compress the compression ring 27, the first and final tube, 2 and 4, respectively, cannot slide past each other. When the locking cap 19 is turned the opposite way, the pressure on the compression ring 27 is reduced allowing the first and final tubes (2 and 4) to slide past one and other. Another variation of the invention is found at elements 12 and 13 in
As found in the
In
Again, the final stage compression lock mechanism is composed of a compression locking cap interface 15, compression locking cap 19, and compression ring 27. The compression locking cap interface 15 is located on the exterior of the second end of the intermediate tube 17. The compression ring 27 rests on the exterior of the first end of the final extension tube 4 as does the compression locking cap 19. The first end of the final extension tube 4 is placed inside the second end of the intermediate tube 17. The locking cap 19 then engages the locking cap interface 15. When the locking cap is turned to compress the compression ring 27, the intermediate tube 17 and final tube 4 cannot slide past each other. When the locking cap 19 is turned the opposite way, the pressure on the compression ring 27 is reduced allowing the intermediate and final tubes (17 and 4) to slide past one and other. Elements 12 and 13 in
Claims
1. A golf ball grabbing device for use by a golfer comprising:
- a. A hollow elongated gripping area having a first open end and wherein said gripping area has a collar affixed within said first open end;
- b. A first hollow elongated shaft having both first and second open ends, said first open end of said shaft are adapted for attachment to said gripping area through said collar;
- c. A second hollow elongated shaft having both first and second open ends, said first open end adapted for insertion into the second end of said first shaft;
- d. A locking mechanism positioned between the second end of said first shaft and the first end of said second shaft wherein said locking mechanism controls the movement of said second shaft through and into said first shaft and wherein said gripping area acts as a storage space for the first end of said second shaft; and,
- e. A translucent grabber cup affixed to the second end of said second shaft wherein the inner diameter of said translucent head is sized to retrieve a golf ball.
2. The device of claim 1 wherein the locking mechanism is a cam lock-type mechanism.
3. The device of claim 1 wherein the locking mechanism is a compression fitting mechanism.
4. The device of claim 1 wherein said first end of said first shaft is threaded for engagement with said collar.
5. The device of claim 1 wherein said second end of said second shaft is threaded for engagement with said translucent grabber.
6. The device of claim 1 wherein there are a plurality of shafts allowing at least two control mechanisms for extension and retraction.
7. The device of claim 6 wherein the locking mechanisms are compression fittings locks.
8. The device of claim 6 wherein the locking mechanisms are cam lock type mechanisms.
9. The device of claim 6 wherein the locking mechanisms are a combination of compression fittings and cam lock type mechanisms.
10. The device of claim 1 wherein the shafts are made of PVC.
11. The device of claim 7 wherein the shafts are made of PVC.
12. The device of claim 1 wherein the shafts are made of metal.
13. The device of claim 7 wherein the shafts are made of metal.
14. The device of claim 1 wherein the translucent grabber cup is made of elastic materials.
15. The device of claim 1 wherein the translucent grabber cup is made of rubber based materials having elastic properties.
16. A golf ball grabbing device for use by a golfer comprising:
- a. A hollow elongated gripping area having a first open end and wherein said gripping area has a collar affixed within said first open end;
- b. A first hollow elongated shaft having both first and second open ends, said first open end of said shaft is adapted for attachment to said gripping area through said collar;
- c. A second hollow elongated shaft having both first and second open ends, said first open end adapted for insertion into the second end of said first shaft;
- d. A locking mechanism positioned between the second end of said first shaft and the first end of said second shaft wherein said locking mechanism controls the movement of said second shaft through and into said first shaft and wherein said gripping area acts as a storage space for the first end of said second shaft;
- e. A translucent cup having a first and second opening wherein said first opening is adapted for affixation to said second end of said second shaft and said second opening is circular in shape which allows a user to grab a golf ball without full insertion of a golf ball.
17. The device of claim 16 wherein the locking mechanism is a cam lock-type mechanism.
18. The device of claim 16 wherein the locking mechanism is a compression fitting mechanism.
19. The device of claim 16 wherein said first end of said first shaft is threaded for engagement with said collar.
20. The device of claim 16 wherein said second end of said second shaft is threaded for engagement with said translucent grabber.
21. The device of claim 16 wherein there are a plurality of shafts allowing at least two control mechanisms for extension and retraction.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 11, 2004
Publication Date: Mar 16, 2006
Inventors: Richard Dalsing (Hazel Green, WI), Mary Dalsing (Hazel Green, WI)
Application Number: 10/938,372
International Classification: A63B 47/02 (20060101);