GOLF BAG AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF
A golf bag has a simple structure requiring a small number of components and a small number of processes so that a golf club put in a golf bag body can be prevented from being damaged caused by touching the exposed portions of the fasteners exposed inside of the golf bag body. The golf bag has portions of fasteners for fastening components of a golf bag body, and/or portions of fasteners for fastening accessories, such as a handle, a shoulder strap, a buckle, and trims, the golf bag body. Elastic projecting portions which protrude in exposed portions of the fasteners and/or in the vicinity of the exposed portions of the fasteners are provided inside of the golf bag body, and the projecting portions are higher than the exposed portions of the fasteners.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a golf bag and a manufacturing method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, as shown in
However, in the golf bag 1, for example as shown in
Therefore, in order to solve such problems, the following conventional techniques have been proposed.
Specifically, a conventional technique is, for example, a caddie bag which has a bridging belt fastened with rivets on a cylindrical club-entrance opening, where a cushion belt is provided to hide the heads of the rivets and a Magic Tape® is provided for adhering the back surface of the cushion belt on the bridging belt after one end of the cushion belt is sewed on the bridging belt and the bridging belt is fastened with rivets on the club entrance opening (see, for example, Publication of Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 2595384 (page 2, FIG. 1) (Patent Document 1)). According to this conventional technique, the cushion belt that is provided to hide the anchors of the rivets prevents a shaft of a golf club which is put in the caddie bag from coming in contact with the anchors of the metal rivets and thus being damaged.
However, this conventional technique, which prevents the rivets from being exposed requires components such as the bridging belt, cushion belt, and Magic tape (registered trademark), so that the number of components and the number of processes for attaching the components on the club entrance opening increase, as compared to that of the conventional method. In addition, the joint between each of the bridging belt and cushion belt and the Magic tape (registered trademark) may also become loose.
In view of these problems, a method for manufacturing the opening rim portion of a caddie bag without increasing the number of components and the number of processes and without exposing the rivets is proposed.
Specifically, another conventional technique is a caddie bag, which focuses on the opening rim portion, in which a clevis with a hanging D-ring is sandwiched between overlapping portions of the opening rim portion and thus is fastened with the rivets; one end portion of a cover for covering the entire overlapping portions is fastened with rivets at the outer side of the opening rim portion; the opening rim portion is folded through the D-ring; and the upper edge portion of the caddie bag body is sandwiched between another end portion of the cover and the opening rim portion and then are sewed on the caddie bag body, so that the caulking portions of the rivets are not exposed to the inner space of the opening rim portion (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 11-276650 (page 2 to 3, FIGS. 1 and 2) (Patent Document 2)). According to this conventional technique, since one sheet of covering prevents the metal fittings and rivets from being exposed, the number of components and the number of processes are reduced as compared to the conventional technique described above.
However, even the conventional technique as shown in Patent Document 2 does not solve the problems in which the technique requires additional separate members such as the clevis with the D-ring hanging and one sheet of cover, and still increases the number of components and the number of processes for attaching the components on the opening rim portion. In addition, the process of attaching the components is cumbersome and difficult.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONTo overcome the problems described above, preferred embodiments of the present invention provide a golf bag and a method of manufacturing of the golf bag capable of preventing a golf club from being damaged caused by a contact between exposed portions of fasteners exposed to the inner space of a golf bag body and the golf bag put in the golf bag body, using a simple structure that reduces the number of components and the number of processes as much as possible.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a golf bag which includes a golf bag body, at least one fastener defined by at least one of a rivet, a screw, a pin, a bolt, and a nut provided as at least one of a structural element of the golf bag body and an attachment member for attaching an accessory to the golf bag body, the at least one fastener including an exposed portion that is exposed to an inner space of the golf bag body, and at least one elastic projecting portion provided in the inner space of the golf bag body at least one of a location at which the exposed portion of the at least one fastener is disposed and the vicinity of the location at which the exposed portion of the at least one fastener is disposed. The at least one elastic projecting portion extends further into the inner space of the golf bag body than the exposed portion of the at least one fastener.
If the projecting portion extends in the vicinity of the exposed portion of the fastener, a step (height difference) is provided which is a difference in height between the exposed portion of the fastener and the projecting portion. Therefore, when a golf club is put into the golf bag body, a shaft of the golf club merely comes into contact with the projecting portion and does not come into contact with the exposed portion of the fastener. In other words, the projecting portion, which protrudes further inside of the golf bag body, comes into contact with the shaft of the golf club before the golf club comes into contact with the exposed portion of the fastener, and thus, the golf club is prevented from coming into contact with the exposed portion of the fastener. In addition, since the projecting portion is elastic, even if the projecting portion comes into contact with the golf club, the shaft of the golf club is protected from being damaged.
On the other hand, if the projecting portion protrudes at a location corresponding to the exposed portion of the fastener, since the projecting portion is elastic, the exposed portion of the fastener makes a partial dent in the projecting portion, so that the exposed portion is buried in a recessed portion of the projecting portion. In this case, since a step (height difference) is formed between the top of the exposed portion of the fastener and a non-recessed portion of the projecting portion, the shaft of the golf club merely comes into contact with the projecting portion (the non-recessed portion of the projecting portion) but does not come into contact with the exposed portion of the fastener, when the golf club is put in the golf bag body. Therefore, it is possible to avoid contact between the golf club and the exposed portion of the fastener. In addition, since the projecting portion is elastic, even if the projecting portion comes into contact with the golf club, the shaft of the golf club is protected from being damaged.
According to this preferred embodiment, in order to avoid contact between the exposed portion of the fastener and the golf club, the separate member used in the conventional technique is not required, and the golf bag has a simple structure in which the elastic projecting portion which protrudes in the exposed portion of the fastener and/or at least in the vicinity of the exposed portion is merely provided inside of the golf bag body, so that the number of components and the number of processes are reduced as much as possible as compared to the conventional technique.
The golf bag according to this preferred embodiment is preferably cylindrical and includes a core material therein. The exposed portion of the at least one fastener is exposed inside of the core material, and the at least one elastic projecting portion is disposed at the location in the vicinity of exposed portion of the at least one fastener.
When a golf club is put in the golf bag body, the projecting portion, which extends further than the exposed portion of the fastener, comes into contact with the shaft of the golf club in the inner space of the core material before the golf club comes into contact with the exposed portion of the fastener. Therefore, the golf club is prevented from coming into contact with the exposed portion of the fastener. In addition, since the projecting portion is elastic, even if the projecting portion comes into contact with the golf club, the golf club is protected from being damaged.
In order to prevent contact between the exposed portion of the fastener and the golf club, the separate member used in the conventional technique is not required, and the golf bag has a simple structure in which the elastic projecting portion which protrudes at least in the vicinity of the exposed portion is merely provided inside of the core material, so that the number of components and the number of processes are reduced as much as possible compared with the conventional technique.
Another preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a method of manufacturing the golf bag which includes a body forming step of forming a cylindrical golf bag body having a core material therein. The body forming step includes a step of providing at least one fastener which extends from an outer surface to an inner surface of the cylindrical golf bag body, the at least one fastener including an exposed portion that extends into an inner space of the cylindrical golf bag body, a projecting portion forming step of forming at least one elastic projecting portion on one main surface of the core material such that the projecting portion extends into the inner space of the cylindrical golf bag body at least in the vicinity of the exposed portion of the at least one fastener, and a cylindrical body forming step of forming the core material in a cylindrical shape so that the one main surface of the core material is inside.
The elastic projecting portion which protrudes in an exposed portion where the fastener is exposed and/or in the vicinity of the exposed portion is formed by the projecting portion forming step. Therefore, this preferred embodiment provides the same advantages as the preferred embodiment described above.
According to another preferred embodiment, a method of manufacturing the golf bag includes a body forming step of forming the cylindrical golf bag body having a core material therein, wherein the body forming step includes a projecting portion forming step of forming a projecting portion on one main surface of the core material so that the projecting portion protrudes at least in the vicinity of the exposed portion of the fastener, and a cylindrical body forming step of forming the core material in a cylindrical shape so that the main surface of the core material is inside.
In this preferred embodiment, in the projection portion forming step, the at least one elastic protecting portion preferably extends into the inner space further than the at least one fastener.
According to preferred embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to provide a golf bag which has a simple structure requiring a small number of components and a small number of processes so that a golf club put in a golf bag body is protected from being damaged by coming into contact with the exposed portion of the fastener exposed to the inner space of the golf bag body, and a manufacturing method of the golf bag.
The above and other elements, steps, features, characteristics and advantages of the present invention will be clarified by the following description of best mode for carrying out the invention, when considered with reference to the drawings.
A golf bag and a manufacturing method thereof according to preferred embodiments of the present invention protect a golf club disposed therein from being damaged by coming into contact with fasteners such, as rivets, exposed to the inner space of a golf bag body, without increasing the number of components and the number of processes, by providing an elastic projecting portion that extends further than the exposed portions of the fasteners in an inner surface of the golf bag body in the exposed portion of the fasteners and/or in the vicinity of the exposed portion.
As shown in
The substantially cylindrical body 14 is covered with a cover 22 which is made of natural leather, synthetic resin leather, or other suitable material. The opening rim portion 16 and the bottom rim portion 18 are fit on an upper-opening peripheral portion 12a and lower-opening peripheral portion 12b of the golf bag body 12, respectively, and sewed thereon. Furthermore, as shown in
In order to form the golf bag body 12, the fasteners R fastening the substantially cylindrical body 14 and the fasteners R for attaching the accessories 32 on the outer portions of the golf bag body 12 are partially exposed to an inner space of the core material 20 which is arranged inside of the golf bag body 12. As the fasteners R, for example, rivets, screws, pins, bolts, and nuts can be used.
In this preferred embodiment, for example, as shown in
In this preferred embodiment, in particular, in order to avoid a contact between a golf club C and the exposed anchor head Rd of the fastener R, as shown in
The support base 42 and the projecting portions 44 of the avoidance member 40 are integrally and unitarily formed of an elastic material. In this preferred embodiment, the support base 42 and the projecting portions 44 are integrally and unitarily formed of a foamed plastic material such as urethane foam, a rubber material, or other suitable materials, such as a cushion, flexible material.
The avoidance member 40 is arranged on the core material 20 forming the substantially cylindrical body 14 so that one of the plurality of projecting portions 44 protrudes in the vicinity of the exposed portion (i.e., the base Rc and the anchor head Rd) of the fastener R. In this case, as shown in
In this preferred embodiment, since a step defining a height difference is formed between each exposed portion (i.e., the base Rc and the anchor head Rd) of the fastener R and each projecting portion 44 of the avoidance member 40, as shown in
If the projecting portions 44 protrude at positions corresponding to the exposed portions of the fasteners R, respectively, since the projecting portions 44 have a cushioning property, the exposed portions of the fasteners R make dents in the projecting portions 44, so that the exposed portions are buried in recessed portions 46 of the projecting portions 44, as shown in
According to the golf bag and the manufacturing method thereof in this preferred embodiment, as described above, in order to avoid a contact between each of the exposed portions of the fasteners R and the golf club C, the additional member used in the conventional technique is not required, and the golf bag has a simple structure in which the projecting portions 44 having a cushion property merely protrude in the exposed portions of the fasteners R and/or at least in the vicinity of the exposed portions of the fasteners R. Therefore, the golf bag and the manufacturing method thereof in this preferred embodiment require a small number of components and a small number of processes as compared to the conventional technique.
The shape and the arrangement of the projecting portions 44 are not limited to the preferred embodiment described above, and the projecting portions 44 may have various shapes and arrangements, as shown in
Specifically, the avoidance member 40 shown in
In the avoidance member 40 shown in
In the avoidance member 40 shown in
A golf bag and a manufacturing method thereof according to preferred embodiments of the present invention are particularly suitable for use in either a golf bag in which accessories including a handle, a shoulder strap, a belt, a buckle, an umbrella holder, and various trims are attached on the golf bag body and its opening rim portion with fasteners such as metal rivets, screws, pins, bolts, and nuts, and other fasteners, or a golf bag in which a golf bag body is formed in a cylindrical shape by driving fasteners into components of the golf bag body in order to form the golf bag body.
While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it is to be understood that variations and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing the scope and spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention, therefore, is to be determined solely by the following claims.
Claims
1-4. (canceled)
5: A golf bag comprising:
- a golf bag body;
- at least one fastener defined by at least one of a rivet, a screw, a pin, a bolt, and a nut provided as at least one structural element of the golf bag body and an attachment member arranged to attach an accessory to the golf bag body, the at least one fastener including an exposed portion that is exposed to an inner space of the golf bag body; and
- at least one elastic projecting portion provided in the inner space of the golf bag body at least one of a location at which the exposed portion of the at least one fastener is disposed and the vicinity of the location at which the exposed portion of the at least one fastener is disposed; wherein
- the at least one elastic projecting portion extends further into the inner space of the golf bag body than the exposed portion of the at least one fastener.
6: The golf bag according to claim 5, wherein the golf bag body is substantially cylindrical and includes a core material therein, the exposed portion of the at least one fastener is exposed inside of the core material, and the at least one elastic projecting portion is disposed at the location in the vicinity of exposed portion of the at least one fastener.
7: A manufacturing method of the golf bag comprising:
- a body forming step of forming a substantially cylindrical golf bag body having a core material therein, wherein the body forming step includes: a step of providing at least one fastener which extends from an outer surface to an inner surface of the substantially cylindrical golf bag body, the at least one fastener including an exposed portion that extends into an inner space of the substantially cylindrical golf bag body; a projecting portion forming step of forming at least one elastic projecting portion on one main surface of the core material such that the projecting portion extends into the inner space of the substantially cylindrical golf bag body at least in the vicinity of the exposed portion of the at least one fastener; and a substantially cylindrical body forming step of forming the core material in a substantially cylindrical shape so that the one main surface of the core material is inside.
8: The manufacturing method of the golf bag according to claim 7, wherein in the projection portion forming step, the at least one elastic protecting portion extends into the inner space further than the at least one fastener.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 3, 2005
Publication Date: Mar 5, 2009
Applicant: KISAIKOBO CO., LTD. (Kyoto-shi, Kyoto)
Inventor: Tatsuro Hamamori (Kyoto)
Application Number: 11/815,426