Golf ball dispensing device
An embodiment includes an apparatus that includes a storage portion and a delivery portion coupled to the storage portion. The delivery portion has a first portion for dispensing articles. The first portion includes a cap portion rotatable about an axis and defining an egress region having a storage side and a delivery side. At least a portion of at least one of the articles is selectively in contact with the cap portion. At least a portion of the cap is selectively the topmost portion of the apparatus
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60/759,143 filed Jan. 13, 2006, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELDThe technical field relates to storage and dispensing, and more specifically to an apparatus and method for delivery of golf balls.
BACKGROUNDBall dispensers are used for many purposes. Typical ball dispensers, such as ball dispensers for golf balls, require multiple steps to operate, require both hands, and/or involve multiple moving parts in order to dispense an individual ball. Many golf ball dispensers cannot be readily adapted for use in a golf bag because the ball is not dispensed at the top of the dispenser, and/or the operating mechanism may not be accessible when the dispenser was placed in a bag. When multiple moving parts are incorporated, often the operating force is undesirably increased, and the possibility of a mechanism failure is increased.
Additionally, many ball dispensers are oversimplified to the extent that one or more balls may be dispensed inadvertently when, for example, a golf cart drives over an obstacle, causing a vertical jolt to the dispenser, or when a golf bag is placed on the ground during play or bag transit. Other oversimplified dispensers may allow the balls to be undesirably directly exposed to the environment. What is needed, is a reliable, simplified dispenser that may be operated with minimal force and with minimal manipulation requiring little more effort than the effort required to lift a ball.
SUMMARYAn embodiment includes an apparatus that includes a storage portion and a delivery portion coupled to the storage portion. The delivery portion has a first portion for dispensing articles. The first portion includes a cap portion rotatable about an axis and defining an egress region having a storage side and a delivery side. At least a portion of at least one of the articles is selectively in contact with the cap portion. At least a portion of the cap is selectively the topmost portion of the apparatus.
Referring now to the drawings, preferred illustrative embodiments are shown in detail. Although the drawings represent some embodiments, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated, in partial cut-away, removed, or partially sectioned to better illustrate and explain the present invention. Further, the embodiments set forth herein are not intended to be exhaustive or otherwise limit or restrict the claims to the precise forms and configurations shown in the drawings and disclosed in the following detailed description.
The slot 34 extends generally longitudinally between an upper end 44 and a lower end 46 along the tubular portion 22. In the embodiment illustrated, the biasing member 36 is a coil spring providing a desired minimum delivery force, represented generally at F, although other embodiments may include a variable force coil spring, or no spring, if gravity were desired to provide a delivery force, such as the delivery force F. As best seen in
As best seen in at least one of
As best seen in
The collar 52 includes a generally cylindrical tube mating portion 90, a neck portion 92, an egress portion 94, and a pair of cap mounting portions 96. The tube mating portion 90 has an outer grip surface 100, an inner tube mating surface 102, a generally annular lower edge 104, and a generally annular upper edge 106 defined, at least in part, by a beveled surface 110. The tube mating portion 90 may have mating threads on the inner tube mating surface 102 to attach the collar 52 to the proximal end 26 of the tubular portion 22, or other suitable attachment means may be used.
The neck portion 92 extends from the upper edge 106 and is defined, at least in part, by a pair of mounting reinforcement ends 112, 114, a generally hemispherical inner surface 116, a generally hemispherical outer surface 118, and a collar tab stop edge 120. The egress portion 94 extends from the upper edge 106 between the cap mounting portions 96. The cap mounting portions 96 extend from the upper edge 106 and interconnect the mounting reinforcement ends 112, 114 with the egress portion 94. Each cap mounting portion 96 includes an outer cap mounting surface 126, a pin guiding surface 128 formed thereon, and a pin aperture 130, defined by a generally cylindrical surface, formed therein.
For comparison purposes,
As best seen in
Referring to
The handle 150 may partially encircle the tubular portion 22 as illustrated, or may fully encircle the tubular portion 22, as desired. The support bar portion 152 is generally rectilinearly moveable within the slot 34 from the upper end 44 to the lower end 46. As will be appreciated, a user (not shown) may grasp the handle 150 when the apparatus 20 is in a desired configuration, such as the unloaded configuration of
To briefly describe the operation of the apparatus 20, the cap 50 is rotatable relative the collar 52, from a generally closed position as illustrated in
An exemplary operation of the apparatus 20, in greater detail, is as follows. The collar 52 is detached from the tubular portion 22 and the loading device 28 is translated to the load ready position of
With the cap 50 in the closed position and the first golf ball 140 partially interposed therein, the force F is transferred through the first golf ball 140 to the cap 50 and from the collar pins 78 to surfaces of the pin apertures 130 of the cap mounting portions 96. This transfer of force may prevent the cap 50 from inadvertently rotating.
To dispense individual golf balls 42, a user will ensure that the cap 50 is in the closed position of
As the cap 50 is further rotated as described above from the first intermediate position to the open position, the edge portion 66 of the cap 50 is interposed between the first golf ball 140 and the second golf ball 142. In this manner, the first golf ball 140 is separated from the remainder of the golf balls 42. Further rotation of the cap 50 toward the open position will involve the second golf ball 142 counter-rotating with surface 72 of the cap 50 and/or sliding relative to the second surface 72. When the cap 50 is fully rotated to the open position, as seen in
To remove the first golf ball 140 from the cap 50 when the cap 50 is in the open position, the first golf ball 140 may be grasped and lifted, or may be rolled out of position by placing a finger (not shown) on the first golf ball 140 adjacent the edge stop surface 82 and applying a slight force to urge the first golf ball 140 toward the beveled surface 110. As the first golf ball 140 contacts the beveled surface 110, the first golf ball 140 will guide along the beveled surface 110 and out of the cap 50. Thus provided, the delivery portion 30 selectively permits an article, such as the first golf ball 140, to be removed from the cap 50 when desired with a single finger of a user.
As the first golf ball 140 guides along the beveled surface 110, the thumb (not shown) of the same hand as the aforementioned finger may be placed adjacent the upper edge 106 of the of the collar 52, permitting the first golf ball 140 to be grasped between the finger and the thumb when the first golf ball 140 contacts the thumb. In this manner, an article, such as the first golf ball 140 may be removed from the cap 50 and readily held with a single finger and a thumb.
Since the first surface 70 of the cap 50 and the adjacent outer surface portion of an article, such as the first golf ball 140, are both generally hemispherical, the spacer 76 positions the first golf ball 140 slightly away from the first surface 70 thereby providing for ready retrieval, as the mating hemispherical surfaces are not allowed to develop any undesirable suction attachment, such as is commonly associated with mating hemispherical surfaces, especially when wet.
The cap 50 may remain in the open position, or may be rotated to the closed position after the first golf ball 140 has been removed. The cap 50 may remain in the open position, due to the frictional contact between the collar pins 78 and the surfaces of the pin apertures 130, until the user desires to return the cap 50 to the closed position.
As the cap 50 is rotated from the open position to the closed position after the first golf ball 140 has been removed from the apparatus 20, the second golf ball 142 will rotate relative to the second surface 72 of the cap 50 and/or slide relative to the second surface 72. As the cap 50 is rotated further from the open position, the edge portion 66 will guide along a surface of the second golf ball 142. Further rotation of the cap 50 toward the closed position will result in the second golf ball 142 moving away from the end cap 48, and the cap 50 being in a self-closing position, generally represented in
As the second golf ball 142 loads into the cap 50, the biasing member 36 forces the article 40 toward the first surface 70 such that the second golf ball 142 may impact the spacer 76, if provided. In this manner, the spacer 76 provides a cushioning stop for an article, such as the second golf ball 142, in addition to positioning an article for ready retrieval.
Therefore, the apparatus 20 may be operated with a single hand or finger to expose a golf ball 42, thereby permitting the user to conveniently grasp a ball when desired. Additionally, the illustrated embodiment provides a delivery apparatus that requires only movement of a single member (cap 50) in order to deliver an article. Furthermore, the embodiment described allows an article 40 to be exposed for retrieval in a single step (rotating the cap 50).
Generally, a golf ball of a standard size may have a diameter of between about 42.67 and 43.67 mm. When used with a standard size golf ball, tubular portion 22 preferably has an interior diameter d (
The wall 32, when generally transparent, may permit a user to visually inspect the articles 40. Additionally, other portions of the apparatus 20, such as the cap 50 and handle, may be constructed of transparent materials to aid a user when visually inspecting interior portions of the apparatus 20, when desired.
In other embodiments, the apparatus 20 may have a cap 50, but may not have a distinct collar, such as the collar 52, but may have a pair of cap mounting portions, such as the cap mounting portions 96, formed at the proximal end 26, and may include a neck portion, such as the neck portion 92, and an egress portion, such as the egress portion 94, formed thereon. In an exemplary embodiment, such as the described embodiment without a distinct collar, an alternate entry way for articles 40 may be incorporated into the apparatus 20.
The biasing member 36 is preferably formed of an electrostatically coated carbon spring steel formed into the shape illustrated in
With reference to
The collar 52 is preferably sufficiently flexible so as to be readily deformed such that the minimum distance D between the cap mounting portions 96 increases so as to be greater than the width W (
Additionally, as best illustrated in
In an alternate embodiment, the apparatus 20 may be operated with the proximal end 26 at a lower elevation than the distal end 24. Furthermore, the apparatus 20 may be inverted with the proximal end 26 directly below the distal end 24, or with the proximal end 26 at about the same elevation as the distal end 24, while operating as described. The biasing member 36 may not be required when the apparatus 20 is inverted.
The spacer 76 may be a layer of felt that is adhered onto the first surface 70, or may be overmolded onto the first surface 70 as the cap 50 is molded of a relatively resilient polymer, and the spacer 76 is molded of a softer polymer. In this manner, the spacer 76 will cushion the impact of an article 40 as the article 40 loads into the cap 50. In other embodiments, the spacer 76 may be molded of the same material as the cap 50, thereby simplifying manufacture of the dispensing apparatus 20.
In another embodiment, the spacer 76 may be overmolded onto the first surface 70 of the cap 50 with a polymer, such as a photopolymer, that retains an ink or dye for transfer. In this manner, the spacer 76 may also be formed with a raised template 160, such as shown in
The preceding description has been presented only to illustrate and describe exemplary embodiments of the methods and systems of the present invention. As presented, the prefix ‘hemi’ is taken to mean ‘a portion of’ and the prefix ‘semi’ is taken to mean ‘about exactly half of’, which would be exactly half, or as close as practicable. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to any precise form disclosed. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims. The invention may be practiced otherwise than is specifically explained and illustrated without departing from its spirit or scope. The scope of the invention is limited solely by the following claims.
Claims
1. An apparatus comprising:
- a storage portion; and
- a delivery portion coupled to the storage portion and having a first portion for dispensing articles, the first portion including: a cap portion rotatable about an axis and defining an egress region having a storage side and a delivery side, wherein at least a portion of at least one of the articles is selectively in contact with the cap portion, at least a portion of the cap is selectively the topmost portion of the apparatus.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cap portion generally defines a hemispherical surface and the axis intersects about a center point of the hemispherical surface.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the hemispherical surface selectively contacts a surface of the article.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cap portion generally defines at least a semispherical surface.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the article is defined, at least in part, by a generally spherical surface.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage portion selectively retains a plurality of the articles.
7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage portion selectively directs a delivery force, and the delivery force is provided by a coil spring.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cap portion retains the article in the storage portion.
9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cap portion separates a desired article from other articles.
10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the articles selectively prevents distortion of the cap portion.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 8, 2006
Publication Date: Jul 19, 2007
Inventor: Chealton James Howard (Glendale, CA)
Application Number: 11/636,085