GOLF CLUB BRUSH

Abstract

A golf brush is disclosed having a handle portion and a head portion, the head portion including a first set of bristles on a first side, where said bristles are made of a first material, and a second set of bristles on an opposite side, where said bristles are made of a second material. The head portion of the brush further comprises a hook member extending longitudinally from the head portion away from the handle portion, and a spring actuated closure member engaging the hook member to open and close the hook. The spring actuated closure member is manually displaced by a projecting button protruding from the head portion and slidable within a longitudinal slot in the head member.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to brushes used to clean golf equipment.

Golf club brushes are well known in the art. Brushes are typically formed of a handle portion used to grasp the brush, and a head portion that projects bristles of wire or course material that can be used to remove dirt, sand, mud, and debris from the grooves of golf club faces. It is also known to incorporate into the handle a ring, clip, or hook member to secure the brush to a golf club bag, so that the brush is readily available to the golfer during a round of golf. The brush, suspended by the lower end of the handle, tends to get caught on various parts of the golf club bag such as towel, various compartments, or the golfer himself, however, due to the sharp nature of the wire bristles. This can lead to damage to the golf club bag, scratches to the golfer, and premature wear of the brush due to the bristles becoming dislodged or splayed beyond repair. Accordingly, the present inventor has developed a solution to this problem that heretofore has not been discussed or identified to the inventor's knowledge.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a golf club brush having a handle portion and a head portion, where the handle portion includes recesses for positioning fingers of a golfer's hand, and the head portion includes a first set of bristles on a first side, where said bristles are made of a first material, and a second set of bristles on an opposite side, where said bristles are made of a second material. The head portion of the brush further comprises a hook member extending longitudinally from the head portion away from the handle portion, and a spring actuated closure member engaging the hook member to open and close the hook. The spring actuated closure member is manually displaced by a projecting tab protruding from the head portion and slidable within a longitudinal slot in the head member. The placement of the hook member and closure member on the head of the brush, rather than the handle, allows the brush to be supported adjacent the bristles to resist tangling and interference of the bristles with the other parts of the golf bag.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the features of the invention

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an elevated, perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2A is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 with the hook closed;

FIG. 2B is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 with the hook open;

FIG. 3A is a front view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 with the hook closed;

FIG. 3B is a front view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 with the hook open;

FIG. 4A is a cross sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 showing the closure mechanism in the closed view; and

FIG. 4B is a cross sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 showing the closure mechanism in the open view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1-4 illustrate the inventive concept of the present invention, which generally depict a golf club brush 10 having a handle portion 12 and a head portion 14. The handle portion 12 may be formed separately from the head portion 14, or the two portions may be integrally molded using known plastic molding techniques. The brush 10 of the present invention is preferably made of a rugged and sturdy plastic, although other material may be used to form the handle and head portions. The handle portion 12 may be formed with recesses 16 numbering at least four to accommodate four fingers of a golfer's hand to allow the handle to be grasped in a secure manner. Further, the handle portion 12 may be angled away from a longitudinal axis of the head portion 14 to allow a more favorable application of force to be applied to the golf equipment without bending the handle 12.

The head portion 14 of the brush 10 is rectangular, with four lateral faces, a top face 20, and a lower face 22 connected to the handle portion. On a first lateral face 28 is a plurality of openings that retain a first set of bristles 30 of a first material, such as wire bristles. On an opposite face 24 is a second set of openings for retaining a second set of bristles 26, preferably of a second material such as horse hair or plastic. On the top face 20 of the head portion 14 is a hook 32 extending longitudinally away from the handle portion 12, an end 34 of the hook aligned with the center of the top face 20 and spaced one quarter to one third inch away from the surface of the top face.

The head portion 14 is formed with a cavity 40 therein that opens toward the top face 20, where the cavity 40 is sized to receive a reciprocating post 42 therein. A first end 46 of the post 42 can extend outwardly from said cavity 40 until it abuts the end 34 of the hook 32, cooperating with the end 34 of the hook 32 to close the area bound by the hook. The first end 46 of the post 42 can also be substantially withdrawn into the cavity 40 of the head portion 14, thereby opening the hook area. The position of the first end 46 of the post 42 can be manually determined by a thumb button 50 mounted to a tab 52, which in turn is mounted to the post 42 such that the tab 52 and thumb button 50 extending radially outward. A slot 54 in the third face 56 of the head member 14 allows the tab 52 to ride longitudinally within the slot 54, such that the movement of the thumb button 50 on the outside of the head portion 14 by the golfer controls the position of the post 42 inside the cavity 40 of the head portion 14, allowing the golfer to open and close the hook/post combination. The thumb button 50 is preferably formed with lateral ridges 60 to promote a non-slip surface enabling easy control of the button 50.

Because it is desirable to have the hook/post combination biased in the closed position, the post 42 at a second end 62 is coupled to a coiled spring 64 within the lower portion 66 of the cavity, biasing the post 42 out of the cavity 40 against the end 34 of the hook 32. Thus, the spring 64 biases the hook closed, and a manual force on the thumb button 50 is needed to withdraw the post 42 into the cavity 40 of the head portion 14, thereby opening the hook/post combination.

When a golfer wants to connect the brush 10 of the present invention to a golf bag as shown in FIG. 1, he/she applies a manual pressure on the thumb button 50 in a downward direction to withdraw the post 42 into the cavity 40, exposing the interior of the hook portion. With the pressure still applied to the thumb button 50, the hook 32 can then be placed around a loop 70, ring, strap, or other fixture on the golf bag 100 to allow the brush 10 to dangle therefrom by the head portion 14 rather than the handle portion 12. The thumb button 50 is then released, causing the first end 46 of the post 42 to extend under the biasing of the spring 64 to the end 34 of the hook 32, thereby closing the hook.

Claims

1. A golf club brush comprising:

a handle portion;

a head portion attached to said handle portion, said head portion including: first, second, third, and fourth lateral faces and a top face; a plurality of bristles of a first material extending outwardly from said first face; a plurality of bristles of a second material extending outwardly from said second face; a hook member having a first end terminating at said head portion and a second end aligned with a center portion of said top face and spaced from said top face; a longitudinal cavity extending in said head portion from said top face to a lower portion of said head portion; a post disposed in said longitudinal cavity, said post protruding out said cavity at said top face to engage said second end of said hook member in a first position, and withdrawn in said cavity to form a gap between said top face and said second end of said hook member in a second position; a spring biasing said post in said first position; and a thumb button mounted on said post and protruding through a longitudinal slot in said head member, said thumb button manually displaceable to position said post in said second position against said biasing.

2. The golf brush of claim 1 wherein the thumb button is formed with lateral ridges.

3. The golf brush of claim 1 wherein the head portion and handle portion are integrally formed.

4. The golf brush of claim 1, wherein the first material is a metal and the second material is a plastic.