GOLF BALL PACKAGING AND METHOD OF MARKING A GOLF BALL
A package for golf balls, commonly known as a “sleeve”, includes a body having a plurality of side walls and end walls that define a hollow interior for receiving and containing the golf balls. The end walls close off ends of the body. At least one of the side walls contains a plurality of openings spaced apart from one another along a length of the side wall, Each opening is formed at a location that corresponds to and is in registration with a portion of one golf ball that is in closest proximity to the inner surface of the side wall, so as to allow each golf ball to be marked individually (by stencil or otherwise), from the outside of the body, or sleeve, by the user (golfer) by accessing the surface of the ball through the corresponding opening in the side wall.
This patent application is based on and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/889,247, filed on Oct. 10, 2013, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELDThe present invention is generally directed to sports equipment and in particular to a packaging for golf balls that includes an integral feature that allows a golfer to mark individual golf balls.
BACKGROUNDGolf is a precision club and ball sport in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course using the fewest number of strokes. Golf is generally defined as playing a ball with a club from the teeing ground into the hole by a stroke or successive strokes in accordance with the established rules.
Golfers need to distinguish their ball from other players' to ensure that they do not play the wrong ball. This is often done by the golfer making one or more marks on the surface of the ball using a permanent or other marker pen. A wide number of markings are used; many players write their initial in a particular color, or color in one or more dots or shapes on the ball. Many players make multiple markings so that at least one can be seen without having to lift the ball. In any event, the player must first remove the balls from the packaging, or sleeve, before making any markings. Marking tools such as stamps and stencils are available to speed the marking process and/or make it more decorative or unique. However, all these tools (a) are designed to require that the golf balls be removed from the packaging before they are marked, and (b) are external devices that must carried and/or stored by the user, independent of the golf balls and the packaging. Further, the process of hand-marking the balls outside of the packaging creates a risk that the user will mistakenly stain its hands and clothing with the ink from the marker.
SUMMARYA package for golf balls, commonly known as a “sleeve”, includes a body having a plurality of side walls and end walls that define a hollow interior for receiving and containing the golf balls. The end walls close off ends of the body. At least one of the side walls contains a plurality of openings spaced apart from one another along a length of the side wall. Each opening is formed at a location that corresponds to and is in registration with a portion of one golf ball that is in closest proximity to the inner surface of the side wall, so as to allow each golf ball to be marked individually (by stencil or otherwise) from the outside of the body, or sleeve, by the user (golfer) by accessing the surface of the ball through the corresponding opening in the side wall. This marking process allows the golf balls to be marked without first removing them from the body, or sleeve.
Golf balls are special balls designed to be used in the game of golf. Traditionally, golf balls are provided in packaging, such as a box. More specifically, the most common form of packaging for golf balls is to package a small number of balls, such as two or three, in a “sleeve” that is then packaged with other individual sleeves in a larger box for purchase by a golfer.
The end flap 120, 130 can thus be integrally connected to the one side wall 114, 115, 116, 117 along a fold line 125 about which the end wall 122 can pivot to allow the end flap 120, 130 to open and close by being folded (pivoted) about this line 125. The end flap 120, 130 also includes a tab 124 which extends from and pivots relative to the end wall 122 about a fold line 127. When the end flap 120, 130 is closed, the tab 124 is disposed along one of the side walls 114, 115, 116, 117.
In accordance with the present invention, the sleeve 100 includes an integral marking feature that allows a golfer to directly mark the golf balls 10 while they remain contained within the sleeve 100. More specifically, in the embodiment shown in
There is at least one opening 210 formed in the one side wall that is aligned with and is adjacent the portion 15 of the ball 10. The opening 210 is thus formed at a location that in in registration with the portion 15 of the ball 10 that is in closest proximity to the side wall in which the opening 210 is formed. In accordance with the present invention, there is one opening 210 per each ball 10 and thus, in a three-ball sleeve 100, there are three openings 210 spaced apart and formed along the side wall. The spacing between the openings 210 is purposely selected such that each of the openings 210 is aligned with one ball portion 15 of one ball 10. The opening 210 can be thought of as representing either a stencil structure (that permits the user to mark the ball with a marking that takes the form of the opening 210), or an marker access area (the permits the user to create its own unique marking on the ball within the area of the opening 210). If used as a stencil, a user (golfer) can easily mark each golf ball by using a writing implement, such as a marker or the like, which is placed inside of the opening 210 and then the golfer colors in the entire area of the opening 210 directly on the ball 10, resulting in a mark being formed on the ball 10 that has the appearance of the opening 210. In other words, if the opening 210 is in the form of a triangle as shown in
Referring now to
As mentioned above, the openings 210, 220 are strategically formed at spaced locations that correspond to the surface area of the ball 10 that is in closest proximity to the side wall. This allows the area of the side wall that surrounds the opening 210 to be placed into contact or close contact with the golf ball 10, thereby allowing a mark to be formed directly on the exterior surface of the golf ball 10 as shown in
It will be appreciated that the openings 210, 220 can have any number of different shapes and sizes. The shape and size of the opening 210, 220 provide the uniqueness to the marking to allow the balls of one golfer to be distinguishable from the balls of another golfer. Thus, the embodiment of
As mentioned herein, the shape of the opening 210, 220 can be any number of different shapes, including (but not limited to) regular shapes, such as circles, triangles, squares, crosshatches, stars, etc.; irregular shapes; numbers; letters; personalized symbols; logos; etc.; as well as any other openings allowing a user (golfer) to make its own unique markings on the balls 10. Further, the size of the opening 210, 220 can vary, allowing a greater range of variety and options in the marking process.
As shown in
The shapes of the openings 210, 211 are intended to be different from one another to allow the golfer to have an option between two different, visually distinguishable marks for placement on the golf ball.
The sleeve 100 of the present invention is thus designed to allow the golfer to mark the balls 10 without having to physically remove the balls 10 from the packaging (sleeve 100). The marking feature is thus integrally formed with the packaging and the golfer simply needs a writing or other marking implement to complete the marking process.
In instances of a sleeve 100 that contained more than two balls 10, the balls 10 that are not immediately adjacent the end flap that contains the opening 215 can be marked by removing the ball from the sleeve and then placing the ball into contact with one surface (face) of the end wall 122 when it is in the open position shown in
It will be appreciated in the embodiments in which the sleeve (packaging) includes plural openings on plural walls with at least two separate openings being aligned with each golf ball, one of the two openings can be of size and shape to allow the user to manipulate the golf ball within the sleeve. For example, the two openings for each ball can be in the form of a first opening to mark the ball and a second opening for accessing the golf ball to allow simple adjustments of the golf ball's position in the sleeve. For example, if existing markings, such as a corporate logo or brand name, on the ball are seen through the first opening, thereby preventing a clean marking of the ball, the user can access the golf ball through the second opening and manipulate the ball (i.e., rotate) to cause the existing markings to be displaced from the first opening, thereby allowing a clean marking of the golf ball through the first opening.
While the present invention has been described above using specific embodiments, there are many variations and modifications that will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art. As such, the described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative, and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims, rather than by the foregoing description. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
Claims
1. A package for golf balls comprising:
- a body having a plurality of side walls and end walls that define a hollow interior for receiving and containing the golf balls, the end walls closing off ends of the body, wherein at least one of the side walls contains a plurality of openings spaced apart from one another along a length of the side wall, each opening being formed at a location that corresponds to and is in registration with a portion of one golf ball that is in closest proximity to the inner surface of the side wall so as to allow each golf ball to be marked individually by accessing the corresponding opening in the side wall, without having to first remove the balls from the body,
2. The package of claim 1, wherein the body has a rectangular shape and the plurality of side walls comprises four side walls disposed at right angles relative to one another and the end walls are square shaped.
3. The package of claim 1, wherein the body is configured to hold two, three, four, five or six golf balls.
4. The package of claim 1, wherein the plurality of openings comprises a first set of openings formed along one side wall and a second set of openings formed along another side wall.
5. The packaging of claim 1, wherein the plurality of openings are formed linearly along the side wall.
6. The packaging of claim 1, wherein the plurality of openings formed along a middle longitudinal axis that extends the length of the side wall.
7. The packaging of claim 1, wherein the plurality of openings have the same shape.
8. The packaging of claim 1, wherein the plurality of openings have different shapes.
9. The packaging of claim 1, wherein the body is formed of a paper or other rigid or semi-rigid material and the plurality of openings are in the form of cutouts formed with a puncher or other means during the manufacturing and/or packaging process.
10. A method for marking a golf ball that is contained within a golf ball sleeve packaging that includes a plurality of side walls to define an interior space for holding a plurality of golf balls, wherein at least one side wall contains a plurality of openings spaced apart from one another along a length of the side wall, each opening being formed at a location that corresponds to and is in registration with a portion of one golf ball that is in closest proximity to the inner surface of the side wall, the method comprising the steps of:
- stenciling or otherwise marking a surface of the golf ball using the opening allowing one or more marks to be formed on the surface of the golf ball.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 15, 2013
Publication Date: Apr 16, 2015
Inventor: Peter Koffler (Sleepy Hollow, NY)
Application Number: 14/081,706
International Classification: A63B 47/00 (20060101); B65B 61/20 (20060101); B65D 71/36 (20060101);