Golf club travel protector

Abstract

A device that affords protection for a golf club and functions to prevent damage to the club when the club is stowed in a travel bag. Fabricated from one-piece, rigid, plastic material, the device comprises a cradle or canopy portion configured to house a golf club head. Although especially effective for protecting drivers with long shafts, the cradle or canopy can be configured to receive the heads of putters or irons that also have longer shafts. A tube or sleeve extends downward from the bottom of the canopy or cradle and terminates in an open end.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a C-I-P of PCT/US 2005/027905 filed Aug. 5, 2005 and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/599,029, filed Aug. 6, 2004.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to golf accessories. More specifically, the present invention is drawn to a protective device that prevents a golf club from being damaged while being transported.

2. Description of the Related Art

When vacationing, the avid golfer will almost certainly bring his/her personal set of clubs along. This involves putting the clubs and golf bag in some sort of travel bag. The travel bag sometimes receives rough handling from the baggage handlers (airline, bus, train, etc.), which rough handling often results in damage to the clubs. This is especially true of clubs having longer shafts. Many a vacationing golfer has removed clubs from the travel bag only to find that the head of the driver has been broken from its shaft. The art would welcome a durable, inexpensive, easy-to-use device that would protect individual clubs and alleviate this problem.

There are many devices in the related art that are adapted to afford protection for golf clubs. Pertinent examples of such art have been cited and identified in the accompanying IDS. However, none of the cited and identified inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to disclose a golf club travel protector as will subsequently be described and claimed in the instant invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a device that affords protection for a golf club and functions to prevent damage to the club when the club is stowed in a travel bag. Fabricated from one-piece, rigid, plastic material, the device comprises a cradle or canopy portion configured to house a golf club head. Although especially effective for protecting drivers with long shafts, the cradle or canopy can be configured to receive the heads of putters or irons that also have longer shafts. A tube or sleeve extends downward from the bottom of the canopy or cradle and terminates in an open end.

It has been determined that a sleeve length of approximately two feet and diameter of one and one-fourth inches is effective to protect the shaft of a club disposed therein. As contemplated, the cradle is designed with an open top. An elastic member can be employed to keep the device from slipping off the club. Alternatively, a removable top can be used instead of the elastic member. The embodiment of the invention that utilizes a canopy employs hook and loop fasteners to secure the club head and shaft. The cradle and canopy are lined with soft material to prevent club head scratches.

Accordingly, the invention presents a one-piece, lightweight rigid device for preventing damage to golf clubs when the clubs are packed for traveling. The device is easy to use and durable. Designed to protect the longer clubs, the device is especially effective for use with drivers, but is also adaptable for use with irons or putters that have longer shafts.

The invention provides for improved elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described which are inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing their intended purposes.

A clear understanding of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an environmental, perspective view of golf club travel protectors according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial view of a golf club travel protector according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an environmental, exploded view of a golf club travel protector according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an elastic retainer for a golf club travel protector according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a movable cap retainer for a golf club travel protector according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a second embodiment of a golf club travel protector according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a top view of a second embodiment of a golf club travel protector according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a third embodiment of a golf club travel protector according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a top view of a third embodiment of a golf club travel protector according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a fourth and preferred embodiment of a golf club travel protector according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a sectional, side view of a fourth and preferred embodiment of a golf club travel protector according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a fifth preferred embodiment of a golf club travel protector according to the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a sixth embodiment of a golf club travel protector according to the present invention.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Attention is first directed to FIGS. 1-5 wherein the protective device of the present invention is generally indicated at 10. An array of golf club travel protectors 10 is housed in a golf bag 12. Each protector 10 comprises a head or cradle portion 14 and a sleeve portion 16. As stated above, device 10 is one-piece and is fabricated from light-weight, rigid plastic material. Cradle 14 is configured such that the head of a golf club can nest therein. As illustrated in FIGS. 1-5, the cradle is configured to receive the head 18 of a conventional driver. The inner surface 14a of cradle 14 is lined with a soft material to prevent the driver head 18 from being scratched by the plastic material. Sleeve portion 16 has a length of approximately 2′ and a diameter of approximately 1¼″. As mentioned above, these dimensions have been found to afford optimum protection for shaft 18a and head 18. As best seen in FIG. 3, device 10 is inserted from the handle end of driver shaft 18a. An elastic retainer 20 (FIG. 4) is employed to keep the device from slipping from the club. Alternatively a removable cover 21 (FIG. 5) can be used to accomplish the same function.

FIGS. 6-9 are illustrative of embodiments of the invention utilized to protect putters having extra long shafts. In the embodiment of FIGS. 6 and 7, cradle 22 is configured to receive the head of a mallet putter. In FIGS. 8 and 9, cradle 24 is configured to receive the head of a “two ball” putter. In both embodiments the length of sleeve 16 is approximately 2½′.

FIGS. 10 and 11 are illustrative of an embodiment comprising an open-face sleeve 30. Sleeve 30 is C-shaped having an open front face 30a and a closed rear face 30b. Sleeve 30 is designed with open upper and lower ends 32, 34. An open-bottom canopy 36 is fashioned with a rear wall 40, which rear wall is attached to the upper end 32 of sleeve 30. A pair of sidewalls 42 intersects at rear wall 40. A top wall 44 rests on the upper edges of sidewalls 42. Top wall 44 has a cross section that is thicker than the cross section of rear wall 40 and sidewalls 42 to provide for a reinforced top, whereby protection is enhanced for the golf club head. The upper edges of the sidewalls are slanted such that top wall 44 is slanted upwardly in a direction away from rear wall 40. As contemplated, sidewalls 42 would extend about the golf club head preferably in a configuration such that the soft protective material on the inner surfaces of the side walls and the top wall prevents the golf club head from being scratched or slipping out. Sleeve 30 and canopy 36 are fabricated from a hard, durable plastic material. A soft protective material 46 is disposed on the inner surfaces of sidewalls 42 and top wall 44 to prevent the club head from being scratched. Hook and loop straps 48 are affixed at strategic locations on the sleeve and canopy to retain the club therein.

The protector of FIG. 12 employs a canopy whose walls are integral with sleeve 52 thereby forming a one-piece unit. As contemplated a sidewall 54 extends about the golf club head preferably in a configuration such that the soft protective material 50a lining the walls of the canopy prevents the golf club head from being scratched. A notch 56 is disposed at the intersection of the walls and the sleeve so as to form a hinge to allow the canopy a range of movement. This movement will enhance the ability of the user to store and remove a club. Ribs 58 extend perpendicularly from the exterior surface of top wall 50. Ribs 58 are employed to provide reinforcement for the top wall. The protector illustrated in FIG. 13 is similar to that of FIG. 12 except that ribs 60 are disposed on the inner surface of top wall 50

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A golf club travel protector, comprising:

an elongate sleeve having an upper end, a lower end, an open front face for receiving a shaft of a golf club therein and a closed rear face, said sleeve being fabricated from a one-piece, rigid material;

a canopy attached to and extending upwardly from said upper end of said sleeve, said canopy having an open bottom, a rear wall, a top wall, and a pair of side walls defining an inner surface dimensioned to receive the head of a golf club therein; and

a soft material lining the inner surface of said canopy.

2. A golf club travel protector as recited in claim 1, wherein the rear wall of said canopy is attached to said sleeve at said closed rear face.

3. A golf club travel protector as recited in claim 1, wherein said pair of side walls have edges that are slanted upwardly in a direction away from said rear wall and said top wall is disposed on said edges.

4. A golf club travel protector as recited in claim 1, wherein said sleeve and said canopy are fabricated from a rigid plastic material.

5. A golf club travel protector as recited in claim 1, wherein said pair of side walls have edges that are slanted upwardly in a direction away from said rear wall and said top wall is disposed on said edges; and

hook and loop fastening straps attached to said canopy and to said sleeve for retaining the golf club in said sleeve and canopy.

6. A golf club travel protector as recited in claim 1, wherein said top wall of said canopy has a thicker cross section than said rear wall and sidewalls.

7. A golf club travel protector, comprising:

an elongate sleeve having an upper end, a lower end, an open front face for receiving a shaft of a golf club therein and a closed rear face, said sleeve being fabricated from a one-piece, rigid material;

a canopy integral with and extending upwardly from said upper end of said sleeve, said canopy having an open bottom, a rear wall, a top wall, and a side wall defining an inner surface dimensioned to receive the head of a golf club therein;

a soft material lining the inner surface of said canopy; and

reinforcement structure disposed on said top wall of said canopy.

8. A golf club travel protector as recited in claim 7, wherein said top wall has an exterior surface and said reinforcement structure includes plural ribs disposed on said exterior surface.

9. A golf club travel protector as recited in claim 7, wherein said top wall has an inner surface and said reinforcement structure includes plural ribs disposed on said inner surface.

10. A golf club travel protector, comprising:

an elongate sleeve having an upper end, a lower end, an open front face for receiving a shaft of a golf club therein and a closed rear face, said sleeve being fabricated from a one-piece, rigid material;

a canopy integral with and extending upwardly from said upper end of said sleeve, said canopy having an open bottom, a rear wall, a top wall, and a side wall defining an inner surface dimensioned to receive the head of a golf club therein;

a soft material lining the inner surface of said canopy;

reinforcement structure disposed on said top wall of said canopy; and

a hinge disposed at the upper end of said sleeve, said hinge being integral with said sleeve and said canopy.

11. A golf club travel protector as recited in claim 10, wherein said hinge is a notch formed at the upper end of said sleeve.

12. A golf club travel protector as recited in claim 11, wherein said top wall has an exterior surface and said reinforcement structure includes plural ribs disposed on said exterior surface.

13. A golf club travel protector as recited in claim 11, wherein said top wall has an inner surface and said reinforcement structure includes plural ribs disposed on said inner surface.