Multi-Purpose Golf Accessory Tool

Abstract

A multi-purpose golf accessory tool for repairing divot holes on golf greens, and for removably securing a ball marker in a outwardly-exposed location. The golf accessory tool includes a housing having a frontside, a back side, a surrounding perimeter edge, and an internal cavity with an access opening in a bottom portion of the perimeter edge. The housing also includes an extendable cord positioned within the cavity having a bound end secured to a spring-loaded winding means and a free end extending through the access opening, a belt clip coupled to the backside of the housing, and a outwardly-exposed ball marker recess formed into the frontside of the housing and having a magnet mounted into the bottom thereof. The golf accessory tool further includes a divot repair tool having a tool end for repairing divot holes on golf greens and a handle end coupled to the free end of the extendable cord, wherein pulling on the divot repair tool causes the extendable cord to spool outwardly from the housing. The golf accessory tool further includes a ferromagnetic ball marker that is securable within the marker recess with the magnet.

Description

PRIORITY DATA

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/307,688, filed on Feb. 24, 2010, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to golf accessory tools, and more specifically to multi-purpose golf accessory tools which can be removably attached to a user's belt.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with a representative embodiment described herein, a multi-purpose golf accessory tool is provided for repairing divot holes on golf greens and for removably securing a ball marker in a outwardly-exposed location. The golf accessory tool includes a housing having a frontside, a back side, a surrounding perimeter edge, and an internal cavity with an access opening in a bottom portion of the perimeter edge. The housing also includes an extendable cord positioned within the cavity having a bound end secured to a spring-loaded winding means and a free end extending through the access opening, a belt clip coupled to the backside of the housing, and a outwardly-exposed ball marker recess formed into the frontside of the housing and having a magnet mounted in the bottom thereof. The golf accessory tool further includes a divot repair tool having a tool end for repairing divot holes on golf greens and a handle end coupled to the free end of the extendable cord, wherein pulling on the divot repair tool causes the extendable cord to spool outwardly from the housing. The golf accessory tool further includes a ferromagnetic ball marker that is securable within the marker recess with the magnet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the detailed description that follows, and when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings together illustrate, by way of example, features of the invention. It will be readily appreciated that these drawings merely depict representative embodiments of the present invention and are not to be considered limiting of its scope, and that the components of the invention, as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, could be arranged and designed in a variety of different configurations. Nonetheless, the present invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates multi-purpose golf accessory tool, in accordance with one representative embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the housing of the golf accessory tool of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates various internal components of the housing of the golf accessory tool of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a close-up view of the spring-loaded winding mechanism, in accordance with the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a close-up view of the frontside of the housing of the golf accessory tool of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view of the housing of the golf accessory tool, as viewed from Section Line A-A of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is a close-up, cross-sectional side view of the housing of the golf accessory tool, as viewed from Section Line A-A of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

The following detailed description makes reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof and in which are shown, by way of illustration, various representative embodiments in which the invention can be practiced. While these embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, it should be understood that other embodiments can be realized and that various changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. As such, the following detailed description is not intended to limit the scope of the invention as it is claimed, but rather is presented for purposes of illustration, to describe the features and characteristics of the representative embodiments, and to sufficiently enable one skilled in the art to practice the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is to be defined solely by the appended claims.

Furthermore, the following detailed description and representative embodiments of the invention will best be understood with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the elements and features of the embodiments are designated by numerals throughout.

Definitions

In describing and claiming the present invention, the following terminology will be used.

The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

As used herein, “axis of rotation” refers to the axis of rotation of the spring-loaded winding means enclosed within the housing of the multi-purpose golf accessory tools.

As used herein, “substantial” when used in reference to a quantity or amount of a material, or a specific characteristic thereof, refers to an amount that is sufficient to provide an effect that the material or characteristic was intended to provide. The exact degree of deviation allowable may in some cases depend on the specific context. Similarly, “substantially free of” or the like refers to the lack of an identified element or agent in a composition. Particularly, elements that are identified as being “substantially free of” are either completely absent from the composition, or are included only in amounts which are small enough so as to have no measurable effect on the composition.

As used herein, “about” refers to a degree of deviation based on experimental error typical for the particular property identified. The latitude provided the term “about” will depend on the specific context and particular property and can be readily discerned by those skilled in the art. The term “about” is not intended to either expand or limit the degree of equivalents which may otherwise be afforded a particular value. Further, unless otherwise stated, the term “about” shall expressly include “exactly,” consistent with the discussion below regarding ranges and numerical data.

Concentrations, dimensions, amounts, and other numerical data may be presented herein in a range format. It is to be understood that such range format is used merely for convenience and brevity and should be interpreted flexibly to include not only the numerical values explicitly recited as the limits of the range, but also to include all the individual numerical values or sub-ranges encompassed within that range as if each numerical value and sub-range is explicitly recited. For example, a range of about 1 to about 200 should be interpreted to include not only the explicitly recited limits of 1 and about 200, but also to include individual sizes such as 2, 3, 4, and sub-ranges such as 10 to 50, 20 to 100, etc.

As used herein, a plurality of items, structural elements, compositional elements, and/or materials may be presented in a common list for convenience. However, these lists should be construed as though each member of the list is individually identified as a separate and unique member. Thus, no individual member of such list should be construed as a de facto equivalent of any other member of the same list solely based on their presentation in a common group without indications to the contrary.

Embodiments of the Invention

Illustrated in FIGS. 1-7 is one representative embodiment of a multi-purpose golf accessory tool 10 for repairing divot holes on golf greens, and for removably securing a ball marker in a outwardly-exposed location. As described herein, the multi-purpose golf accessory tool provides several significant advantages and benefits over other golf accessory tools and devices. However, the recited advantages are not meant to be limiting in any way, as one skilled in the art will appreciate that other advantages may also be realized upon practicing the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary multi-purpose golf accessory tool 10 which includes a housing 20 that is coupled to a divot repair tool 80 with an extendible cord, and which housing further includes a magnetic ball marker recess 50 which holds or supports a ferromagnetic ball marker 70 in an outwardly-exposed position at or about the user's waist. Thus, both the divot repair tool 80 and the ball marker 70 can be easily accessed by the user of the golf accessory tool with the same hand and without reaching into a pocket or being forced to removing a glove, etc.

For instance, the housing 20 can be removably coupled or attached to the belt of a user with a belt clip, which allows the divot repair tool 80 to hang directly below the housing under the influence of gravity when not in use. Grasping the handle end 82 of the divot repair tool 80 and pulling downward causes a spring-loaded winding mechanism located inside the housing (that is secured to the body of the user) to unwind and release the extendible cord from out of an access opening 28 formed into the lower perimeter edge of the housing, and allow the user to reach down to the ground to repair a divot with the tool end 90 of the divot repair tool 80.

In one aspect the extendable cord can comprise a metal cord having a transparent plastic coating. The flexible metal core of the cord can advantageously provide a high-strength interconnection between the housing and divot repair tool while reducing or eliminating the risk of fraying and eventual accidental breakage with time and use, such as may be encountered with string or nylon cords. Moreover, the plastic coating can also provide the extendible cord with a smooth surface that can easily slide through the access opening while simultaneously resisting any corrosive affects caused by the moist or wet conditions that are often encountered on exposed golf courses. However, it is to be appreciated that other types of extendible cords are also possible, and may be considered to fall within the scope of the present invention.

Divot repair instruments similar to the tool 80 are well-known in the art, and can be operated by inserting the two prongs 92 forming the tool end 90 into the compressed soil immediately adjacent to and under the divot depression created by the impact of a golf ball, and by pushing downward on the handle end 82 to pry or lever the compressed soil back to the level of the golf green playing surface. However, the divot repair tool 80 illustrated in FIG. 1 can also include additional novel features or aspects to facilitate the divot repair operation, including a thumb groove 84 formed into the upper surface of the handle end 82 which can better receive a thumb or finger of the user and direct or distribute the application of pressure in a more comfortable manner, and more in line with the application of force needed to lever the compressed soil upwards. The divot repair tool 80 can also include prongs 92 that are slightly curved 94 out-of-plane with respect to the body of the divot repair tool (e.g. curved out-of-the-page in FIG. 1) to allow the prongs to be inserted further under the curvature of the divot depression.

The housing 20 of the multi-purpose golf accessory tool 10 is shown in more detail in FIGS. 2-5. Illustrated in FIG. 2, for instance, is the external side view of the housing 20 having two halves, namely a main body 22 having a frontside face 23 into which is formed a ball marker recess, and a backside shell 24 forming a hollow cavity which houses a winding mechanism. The main body 22 and the backside shell 24 can be coupled together to form a perimeter seam 25 that is located in the perimeter edge 26 of the housing . A belt clip 14 or similar attachment device or bracket can be mounted to the backside shell 24 for removably attaching the golf accessory tool to the body of the user, preferably at or near the waist of the user for easy access during play. An access opening 28 can be formed into the lower perimeter edge for passage of the extendable cord back and forth therein.

A view of the disassembled housing 20 and its various internal components, in accordance with one representative embodiment, is provided in FIG. 3. As can be seen, the shape of the backside shell 24 can form a cavity 30 that accommodates a spring-loaded winding mechanism 34, such as a spring-loaded reel, mounted to the inside surface of the main body 22. In one aspect the access opening 28 can be formed into the perimeter lip of the backside shell, and the free end 44 of the extendible cord can pass therethrough for attachment to an adaptor body 46. The adaptor body can have a diameter that is larger than the access opening to prevent the free end of the extendible cord from being inadvertently retracted or drawn up into the housing when the divot repair tool is not in use. An attachment ring 48 for coupling the divot repair tool to the adaptor 46 can be installed into a ring hole formed through the adaptor. It is to be appreciated that other systems and mechanisms for coupling the divot repair tool to the free end 44 of the extendible cord 40 are also contemplated, including direct attachment of the free end to the handle end of the divot repair tool, and may be considered to fall within the scope of the present invention.

Also shown in FIG. 3 are the belt clip 14 and assembly screw 16 which can be inserted through holes in the belt clip and backside shell 24 to screw into a center post of the main body 22 to secure the components together. An exemplary embodiment of the ball marker 70 is also shown.

FIG. 4 is a close-up, face-on view of the spring-loaded winding mechanism 34 that is mounted to the inside surface of the main body 22, and which is received into the cavity formed by the backside shell upon assembly. In the representative embodiment 10 of the multi-purpose golf accessory tool described herein, the spring-loaded winding mechanism 34 can be a spring-loaded reel comprising a spirally-round leaf spring 36 and a rotating reel cylinder 38. The inner end of the leaf spring 36 can be installed into a slot formed into a fixed, non-rotating center post 32 that extends axially inward (e.g. up out-of-the paper in FIG. 4) from the inside surface of the main body to fix the inner end of the winding mechanism and to provide an attachment body for the assembly screw. The outer end of the leaf spring 36 can be attached to the reel cylinder 38, which can be rotated within the housing (from a neutral condition) in a direction which tends to tighten the spirally-round leaf spring 36 (e.g. counter-clockwise as shown in FIG. 4).

Furthermore, the bound end 42 of the extendible cable can be attached to the reel cylinder 38 and wound about the winding mechanism, so that pulling on the free end (not shown) of the cable causes the cable to unwind from off the reel cylinder 38 as the spiral-wound leaf spring 36 tightens to resist the withdrawal or unwinding of the cord. In one aspect the extendible cord can have a length of about forty inches or more, and can be entirely accommodated within a peripheral slot formed into the reel cylinder when not in use. Moreover, the leaf spring 36 can be configured so that the reel cylinder 38 rotates at least about six to eight times or more about the axis of the housing before the leaf spring becomes bound about the center post 32, allowing the full length of the cord 40 to be extended away from the housing.

The frontside face 23 of the main body 22 is shown in FIG. 5. In contrast with the backside shell, which can be made of a lightweight metallic material (such as sheet steel or aluminum) for strength, durability and structural rigidity, the main body can be made from a non-magnetic and moldable plastic or polymer material that is easily formable into complex shapes. Furthermore, the main body 22 can be provided with a thickness necessary to accommodate both a marker recess 50 and a magnet 18 disposed directly below the marker recess without impacting the operation of the spring-loaded winding mechanism mounted to the opposite, inside face of the main body 22. For instance, the main body 22 can have a thickness of about eight to nine millimeters, excluding the winding mechanism and center post. In addition to a thru-hole center opening 60 that provides access to the magnet 18 installed below, the marker recess 50 can also include a recess niche 66 formed into the upper portion of the marker recess. The recess niche provides a structure into which the user can press an upper portion of the ball marker and pivot the lower portion outward and away from the magnet 18 for easy removal of the ball marker when needed.

Also shown in FIG. 5 are the attachment ring 48 and adaptor 46 coupled to the free end 44 of the extendible cord that extends through the access opening 28 in the bottom portion of the perimeter edge of the housing 20, as described above.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are cross-sectional side views of the housing 20 and main body 22, respectively, as viewed from Section Line A-A of FIG. 5, and which illustrate various aspects of the multi-purpose golf accessory tool 10. Referring first to FIG. 6, in one aspect the housing 20 can have a center axis 21 around which the center post 32 of the main body 22 and the assembly screw 16, which is installed through the opening in the backside shell 24, are located. As described above, the inner end of the spirally-wound leaf spring 36 (or similar spring-loading device) can be coupled to the center post while the outer end is coupled to the rotatable reel cylinder 38. The bound end 42 of the extendible cord 40 can then be attached to base of the peripheral slot 39 formed into the reel cylinder 38, with the free end 44 feeding out through the access opening 28 formed in the perimeter edge 26. The belt clip 14 can be secured against the face of the backside shell 24 with the assembly screw 16, the tip of which can engages with the center post 32 during assembly to provide the clamping force which holds to the two halves 22, 24 of the housing 20 together.

The magnet 18, can be installed into the main body 22 directly below the marker recess 50 for the ball marker 70. In the aspect shown, moreover, magnet 18 can be installed into the main body 22 from the inside surface of the main body prior to the installation of the spring-loaded reel 34 around the center post. As can be seen in more detail in FIG. 7, in one aspect the magnet 18 can be a rare earth disc magnet, and can be installed into a magnet recess 62 having a center opening 60 which opens upwards into the marker recess 50, but which diameter is smaller than the diameter of the magnet recess to create a circular lip or divider ring 64 which holds the magnet in place as well as maintains a small separation gap between the top surface of the magnet 18 and the bottom surface of marker recess 50. This separation gap created by the center opening 60 and divider ring 64 (and which can be about one millimeter in the illustrated embodiment) can be useful by limiting the attractive force between the ball marker 70, (which can be made from a ferromagnetic material such as a nickel alloy, etc.) and the magnet 18 to an amount which can reliably secure the ball maker into the marker recess in all orientations of the housing 20, but which is not so great as to prevent the easy removal of the ferromagnetic ball marker when needed.

Also illustrated in FIG. 7, the magnet recess 62, center opening 60 and marker recess 50 can all share a common center axis 51 that is offset a predetermined distance 53 from the center axis 21 of the housing 20. This offset distance between the two axes can be beneficial by locating the magnet 18 in a position that is not co-axial with the axis of the spring-loaded winding mechanism 34 (e.g. the spring-loaded reel) that is installed around the center post 32, by preventing the same magnetic forces which secure the ball marker 70 within the housing 20 from interfering with the smooth operation of the winding mechanism that can also include ferromagnetic components, such as a metallic leaf spring. It has been determined by the inventor that moving the center of attraction of the magnet 18 away from the center of action of the spring-loaded winding mechanism 34 allows the mechanism to operate more smoothly and with less resistance when the divot repair tool is drawn away from the housing 20.

While it may be beneficial to have the magnet recess 62 and/or the center opening 60 share the center axis 51 of the marker recess 50, other configurations in which the various recesses and openings are not co-axially aligned are also contemplated and are considered to fall within the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, although the center of the marker recess 50 may be located along the radial line extending downward between the center axis 21 of the housing 20 and the access opening 28, as shown in FIG. 5, other orientations and non-symmetrical configurations for the marker recess 50 are possible and may also be considered to fall within the scope of the present invention.

Also shown in FIG. 7, the marker recess 50 can have a depth 52 that is substantially equal with the thickness 72 of the ball marker, so that the top surface of the ball marker lies flush with the frontside surface 23 of the main body 22 when installed into the recess. The marker recess can also have a diameter 54 that is just slightly larger than the diameter 74 of the ball marker to securely hold the ball marker in its outwardly-exposed and vertical position when the gold accessory tool is attached to the belt or pocket of the user. Furthermore, in one aspect the upper semi-circular edge 56 of the marker recess 50 can be square and flush to protect the edge of the ball marker and prevent any foreign object, such as a branch or twig, from catching of the exposed edge of the ball marker and pulling it out of the marker recess. And in another aspect, the lower semi-circular edge 58 of the marker recess 50 can be rounded or beveled so that ball marker 70 can be easily removed with a sliding action applied by a thumb or finger of the user.

As described above, in yet another aspect the marker recess 50 can include a semi-circular recess niche 66 formed into the upper portion of the marker recess that provides a space into which the user can press an upper edge the ball marker and pivot the ball marker 70 against pivot edge 68 to rotate the lower portion of the ball marker outward and away from the magnet 18, for subsequent easy gripping and removal of the ball marker from the marker recess. The recess niche 66 can have a depth 67 that is about twice the depth of the 52 of the marker recess 50.

The foregoing detailed description describes the invention with reference to specific representative embodiments. However, it will be appreciated that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended claims. The detailed description and accompanying drawings are to be regarded as illustrative, rather than restrictive, and any such modifications or changes are intended to fall within the scope of the present invention as described and set forth herein.

More specifically, while illustrative representative embodiments of the invention have been described herein, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, but includes any and all embodiments having modifications, omissions, combinations (e.g., of aspects across various embodiments), adaptations and/or alterations as would be appreciated by those skilled in the art based on the foregoing detailed description. The limitations in the claims are to be interpreted broadly based on the language employed in the claims and not limited to examples described in the foregoing detailed description or during the prosecution of the application, which examples are to be construed as non-exclusive. For example, any steps recited in any method or process claims, furthermore, may be executed in any order and are not limited to the order presented in the claims. The term “preferably” is also non-exclusive where it is intended to mean “preferably, but not limited to.” Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined solely by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the descriptions and examples given above.

Claims

1. A multi-purpose golf accessory tool for repairing divot holes on golf greens and removably securing a ball marker in a outwardly-exposed location, comprising:

a housing having a frontside, a back side, a surrounding perimeter edge, and a internal cavity with an access opening in a bottom portion of the perimeter edge, the housing further including: an extendable cord positioned within the cavity having a bound end secured to a spring-loaded winding means and a free end extending through the access opening; a belt clip coupled to the backside of the housing; and a outwardly-exposed ball marker recess formed into the frontside of the housing and having a magnet mounted in the bottom thereof;

a divot repair tool comprising a tool end for repairing divot holes on golf greens and a handle end coupled to the free end of the extendable cord, wherein pulling on the divot repair tool causes the extendable cord to spool outwardly from the housing; and

a ferromagnetic ball marker securable within the marker recess with the magnet.

2. The golf accessory tool of claim 1, wherein the marker recess is offset from the center of the housing to reduce magnetic interference with the winding means.

3. The golf accessory tool of claim 1, wherein the magnet is centered within the marker recess.

4. The golf accessory tool of claim 1, wherein a bottom edge of the marker recess is rounded to facilitate removal of the ball maker using a downwardly-directed sliding action.

5. The golf accessory tool of claim 1, wherein a top portion of the marker recess has a niche formed therein for receiving a top portion of the ball marker, the niche having a transition edge for levering a bottom portion of the ball marker away from the magnet.

6. The golf accessory tool of claim 1, wherein a top surface of the ball marker is substantially flush within a frontside surface of the housing when positioned within the marker recess.

7. The golf accessory tool of claim 1, wherein the magnet is rare earth disc magnet.

8. The golf accessory tool of claim 1, further comprising a separation gap between a top surface of the magnet and a bottom surface of marker recess to limit the attractive force between magnet and the ferromagnetic ball marker.

9. The golf accessory tool of claim 1, wherein the handle end of the divot repair tool includes a finger groove formed into a face thereof for better applying pressure to the handle end during use.

10. The golf accessory tool of claim 1, wherein the tool end of the divot repair tool comprises a pair of forked prongs curved out-of-plane from a plane of the divot repair tool to better conform to a shape of a divot.

11. The golf accessory tool of claim 1, wherein the extendable cord comprises a metal cord having a transparent plastic coating.

12. The golf accessory tool of claim 1, wherein the spring-loaded winding means comprises a spring-load reel rotatable about a center post.

13. The golf accessory tool of claim 12, wherein the spring-load reel includes a spiral-round leaf spring.