Inflatable Putting Green Apparatus

Abstract

An inflatable putting green apparatus includes a putting playfield that is selectively inflated or deflated. The putting playfield is inflated by forcing air into the putting playfield and deflated when the air is released from the putting playfield. The putting playfield includes an upper surface having a well positioned therein for receiving a golf ball. The putting playfield is flexible and is rolled up when the putting playfield is not inflated to allow for easy transportation thereof.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Non-Provisional application takes benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62/255,277 filed on Nov. 30, 2015.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not Applicable

INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM.

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention

(2) Description of Related Art including information disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98.

The disclosure and prior art relates to inflated and raised putting green devices and more particularly pertains to a new inflated and raised putting green device for allowing a game of miniature golf to be played with inflatable putting greens which may be easily stored and transported when deflated. Further, when inflated, the putting green device will have a substantially wrinkle free upper surface to allow for smooth rolling of a golf ball thereon.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a putting playfield that is selectively inflated or deflated. The putting playfield is inflated by forcing air into the putting playfield and deflated when the air is released from the putting playfield. The putting playfield includes an upper surface having a well positioned therein configured for receiving a golf ball. The putting playfield is flexible and is configured to be rolled up when the putting playfield is not inflated.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of an inflatable putting green apparatus according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of a putting playfield of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a side view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the putting playfield of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a broken perspective view of an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 6 is a broken perspective view of a connecting member of an inlet and outlet of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a broken perspective view of a hub outlet of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a broken perspective view of FIG. 7 in a closed position of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a top view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the disclosure taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a top view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the disclosure shown in a rolled up configuration for storage and transportation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 12 thereof, a new inflated and raised putting green device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will be described.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 12, the inflatable putting green apparatus 10 generally comprises a hub 12 including a perimeter wall 14. The perimeter wall 14 includes an inlet 16 for allowing air into the hub 12. As can be seen in the Figures, the hub 12 may have a geometric shape such as a golf ball as can be seen in FIG. 1 though any shape may be utilized. The hub 12 may be comprised of a rigid material or a flexible material that is inflated when filled with air. The inlet 16 may include a plurality of inlets 16 to allow one or more blowers 20 to be fluidly coupled to the hub 12. The blower 20 is conventional to inflatables used for recreational purposes and forces air into the hub 12 when the blower 20 is turned on. The inlet 16 may be comprised of a flexible hub tube 22 fluidly coupled to the hub 12 and extending away therefrom. The hub tube 22 terminates with a first mating member 24 that is releasably coupled to a second mating 26 member on a blower tube 28, which may also be flexible. The first 24 and second 26 mating members may include a combination of a zipper and a hook and loop connector to ensure the hub tube 22 and the blower tube 28 are maintained in fluid communication with each other. The hub tube 22 may be pushed back into the hub 12 and a closure 30 placed over an aperture in the hub 12 exposing the hub tube 22 when the hub tube 22 is not needed. As shown in the FIGS. 7 and 8, the closure 30 may comprise a flexible panel with a hook and loop connector used to retain the panel in a closed position.

A plurality of putting playfields 32, or putting greens, may be provided though it should be understood that a single putting playfield 32, not including the hub 12 and blower 20 or only including just the blower 20, may also be utilized. Each of the putting playfields 32 is in fluid communication with the hub 12 and each of the putting playfields 32 is thereby selectively inflated or deflated. The hub 12 have a circular configuration as shown in the Figures to allow the putting playfields 32 and blower(s) 20 extend away therefrom as spokes from a central point. However, the hub 12 have any configuration and may instead be formed into a loop, an elongated cylinder or housing, or any shape required depending on the space available and the intended usage of the apparatus 10. However, a central hub may be preferable as allowing for efficient usage of space and to allow for patrons to easily move between the putting playfields. Generally, the putting playfields 32 are each inflated when the blower 20 is turned on and the putting playfields 32 will deflate with the blower 20, or blowers, is turned off. Each of the putting playfields 32 includes an upper surface 34 having a well 36, or recessed hole, positioned therein configured for receiving a golf ball. The well 36 may be formed by a cylinder having a diameter approximately equal to the diameter of a standard golf cup which is 4.25 inches.

The putting playfields 32 may each include a housing 38 that has a bottom wall 40, a top wall 42 and peripheral wall 44 which is attached to and extends between the top 42 and bottom 40 walls. The top wall 42 includes a perimeter boundary 46 bounding a central area 48 and the central area 48 defines the upper surface 34 and containing the well 36. The upper surface 34 is essentially free of any wrinkles and is thereby smooth to facilitate rolling of a golf ball thereon without significant deviation in direction due to unintended imperfections in the upper surface 34. The upper surface 34 may include intended undulations or dips, or may be planar from one lateral side to another lateral side of the putting playfields 32 while being angled upwardly from one end to another of the putting playfield 32. The upper surface 34 may comprise a carpet material, turf material or other simulated grass material positioned on the top wall 42 or incorporated into the top wall 42 such that a golf ball will roll on the upper surface 34 in a similar manner as it would roll on a golf green comprising natural grass.

An inlet 50 is fluidly coupled to the housing 38. The inlet 50 may be fluidly coupled to one of a plurality of outlets 52 extending into the hub 12. The outlets 52 of the hub 12 may be identical to the inlets 16, or hub tubes 22, of the hub 12 however air travels outwardly of the outlets 52 and into a fluidly connected one of the housings 38. Thus, outlets 52 of the hub 12 comprise hub tubes 56 while the inlet 50 of the housing 38 includes a housing tube 54 which may be utilizing the same type of first 24 and second 26 mating members as shown in FIG. 6. This allows a user of the apparatus 10 to selectively position the putting playfield 32 where desired without concern of a required placement of the blower 20 or the housings 38 relative to each other. The inlet 50, however, may comprise a conventional closeable nozzle should the putting playfield 32 be used singularly and without the hub 12. This would allow the putting playfield 32 to be inflated with a blower 20, electric pump, hand pump, or otherwise and then sealed so that the air cannot escape the putting playfield. In this manner, a putting playfield 32 could be utilized alone without remaining portions of the apparatus 10 such as the hub 12 and a blower 20.

The top 42, bottom 40 and peripheral 44 walls are each comprised of a flexible material. The flexible material is generally not resiliently flexible so that the housing 38 is configured to be rolled up when the housing 38 is deflated and that the housing 38 is retained in the rolled up configuration. FIG. 12 demonstrates a putting playfield 32 in a rolled up condition. This construction will allow for easy transportation and storage of the apparatus 10 when it is not in use.

The perimeter boundary 46 abuts the peripheral wall 44 and extends upwardly over the upper surface 34, or putting surface, to form a wall around the upper surface 34.

The perimeter boundary 46 is coextensive with the peripheral wall 44 to entirely bound the upper surface 34. The perimeter boundary 46 will retain the golf ball on the upper surface 34 while it is being moved along the length of the housing 38. The perimeter boundary 46 extends upwardly from the upper surface 34 a height of at least 1.0 inches and less than 6.0 inches. Generally, the housing 38 has a height from the bottom wall 40 to the top wall 44 being less than 3.0 feet and greater than 0.5 feet when the housing 38 is inflated. Moreover, the housing 38 has a front end 58 and a rear end 60 and is elongated from the front end 58 to the rear end 60. The inlet 50 of the housing 38 may be positioned on the rear end 50 with the rear end 60 facing the hub 12.

The central area 48 includes a plurality of raised members 62 that are inflatable and extend upwardly from the upper surface 34 when the housing 38 is inflated. The raised members 62 generally function as obstacles as one navigates a golf ball from the front end 58 of the housing 38 to its associated well 36. The raised members 62 may however include angled bumpers 64, positioned in interior corners formed by the perimeter boundary 46, to prevent golf balls from becoming stuck in the corners and to allow a patron to utilize the angled bumpers 64 for redirection of the golf ball. The interior corners are the corners forming an angle less than 120°. As can be seen in the Figures, the housings 38 may be provided any number of selected shapes and include various inflated obstacles, or raised members 62, to increase the variety in the putting greens to be played.

In use, the apparatus 10 allows an array of housings 38 to be used with the hub 12 so that a plurality of putting playfields 32 may be utilized at one time without interference by other players. However, a plurality of the housings 38 may be inflated without the hub 12 and with nozzles closed so that they may be positioned where desired relative to each other. During play, a patron places a golf ball on one of the associated housings 38 adjacent to the front end 58 and attempts to putt the golf ball into the well 36. The patron does not stand on the housings 38 while putting and the housings 38 typically will have a size such that the patron will always be able to be within 3.0 feet of a golf ball positioned on the upper surface 34. That is, no point on the upper surface 34 will be further than 3.0 feet from the perimeter boundary 46 to ensure that the patron can always reach the golf ball.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.

Claims

1. An inflatable miniature golf game apparatus comprising:

a hub including a perimeter wall, said perimeter wall including an inlet for allowing air into said hub;

a blower being fluidly coupled to said inlet, said blower forcing air into said hub when said blower is turned on; and

a putting playfield being in fluid communication with said hub, said putting playfield being selectively inflated or deflated, said putting playfield being inflated when said blower is turned on and deflated when said blower is turned off, said putting playfield including an upper surface having a well positioned therein configured for receiving a golf ball, said putting playfield be flexible and being configured to be rolled up when said putting playfield is not inflated.

2. The inflatable miniature golf game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said putting playfield includes a housing having a bottom wall, a top wall and peripheral wall being attached to and extending between said top and bottom walls, said top wall including a perimeter boundary bounding a central area, said central area defining said upper surface and containing said well, said top, bottom and peripheral walls each being comprised of a flexible material.

3. The inflatable miniature golf game apparatus according to claim 2, further including an inlet being fluidly coupled to said housing, said inlet being fluidly coupled to an outlets extending into said hub.

4. The inflatable miniature golf game apparatus according to claim 2, said perimeter boundary abutting said peripheral wall and extending upwardly over said upper surface.

5. The inflatable miniature golf game apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said perimeter boundary is coextensive with said peripheral wall to entirely bound said upper surface.

6. The inflatable miniature golf game apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said housing has a height from said bottom wall to said top wall being less than 3.0 feet and greater than 0.5 feet when said housing is inflated.

7. The inflatable miniature golf game apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said housing has a front end and a rear end, said housing being elongated from said front end to said rear end.

8. The inflatable miniature golf game apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said central area includes a plurality of raised members being inflated and extending upwardly from said upper surface when said housing is inflated.

9. The inflatable miniature golf game apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said raised members include angled bumpers positioned in interior corners formed by said perimeter boundary.

10. An inflatable miniature golf apparatus comprising:

a putting playfield being selectively inflated or deflated, said putting playfield being inflated when air is force into said putting playfield and deflated when air is released from said putting playfield, said putting playfield including an upper surface having a well positioned therein configured for receiving a golf ball, said putting playfield be flexible and being configured to be rolled up when said putting playfield is not inflated.

11. The inflatable miniature golf game apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said putting playfield includes a housing having a bottom wall, a top wall and peripheral wall being attached to and extending between said top and bottom walls, said top wall including a perimeter boundary bounding a central area, said central area defining said upper surface and containing said well, said top, bottom and peripheral walls each being comprised of a flexible material.

12. The inflatable miniature golf game apparatus according to claim 11, further including an inlet being fluidly coupled to said housing to allow air to be forced into and removed from said housing.

13. The inflatable miniature golf game apparatus according to claim 11, said perimeter boundary abutting said peripheral wall and extending upwardly over said upper surface.

14. The inflatable miniature golf game apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said perimeter boundary is coextensive with said peripheral wall to entirely bound said upper surface.

15. The inflatable miniature golf game apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said housing has a height from said bottom wall to said top wall being less than 3.0 feet and greater than 0.5 feet when said housing is inflated.

16. The inflatable miniature golf game apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said housing has a front end and a rear end, said housing being elongated from said front end to said rear end.

17. The inflatable miniature golf game apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said central area includes a plurality of raised members being inflated and extending upwardly from said upper surface when said housing is inflated.

18. The inflatable miniature golf game apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said raised members include angled bumpers positioned in interior corners formed by said perimeter boundary.

19. An inflatable miniature golf game apparatus comprising:

a hub including a perimeter wall, said perimeter wall including an inlet for allowing air into said hub;

a blower being fluidly coupled to said inlet, said blower forcing air into said hub when said blower is turned on;

a plurality of putting playfields, each of said putting playfields being in fluid communication with said hub, each of said putting playfields being selectively inflated or deflated, said putting playfields each being inflated when said blower is turned on, each of said putting playfields including an upper surface having a well positioned therein configured for receiving a golf ball, each of said putting playfields including: a housing having a bottom wall, a top wall and peripheral wall being attached to and extending between said top and bottom walls, said top wall including a perimeter boundary bounding a central area, said central area defining said upper surface and containing said well; an inlet being fluidly coupled to said housing, said inlet being fluidly coupled to one of a plurality of outlets extending into said hub; said top, bottom and peripheral walls each being comprised of a flexible material, said housing being configured to being rolled up when said housing is deflated; said perimeter boundary abutting said peripheral wall and extending upwardly over said upper surface, said perimeter boundary being coextensive with said peripheral wall to entirely bound said upper surface; said housing having a height from said bottom wall to said top being less than 3.0 feet and greater than 0.5 feet when said housing is inflated; said housing having a front end and a rear end, said housing being elongated from said front end to said rear end, said inlet being positioned on said rear end; and said central area including a plurality of raised members being inflated and extending upwardly from said upper surface when said housing is inflated, said raised members including angled bumpers positioned in interior corners formed by said perimeter boundary.