Ball Feeding Means And Tee Patents (Class 473/132)
  • Patent number: 5683304
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a golf ball teeing apparatus. The apparatus is adapted to rotate about a frame and deliver golf balls to be automatically teed. The golf ball elevating apparatus is a levered system which positively loads and elevates golf balls above the platform. The golf ball delivery apparatus includes a golf ball magazine including a gate trap assembly adapted to deliver golf balls to a delivery chute while preventing jamming of the golf balls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 4, 1997
    Assignee: Uniland Sports and Food Corporation
    Inventor: John F. Bunyi
  • Patent number: 5674130
    Abstract: A golf ball dispenser (1) has a fixed tee (21) onto which a ball is placed by an arm (24). The arm (24) moves in a vertical direction being below the level of the tee during play. Downward arm movement for placement is damped by a motor (26) to ensure repeatable secure placement. A vibration sensor (30) detects striking of the ball and a controller (27) then initiates the next placement. The dispenser (1) is simple, reliable and easy to use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 7, 1997
    Assignee: Lesco Enterprises Ltd.
    Inventor: Leslie Egan
  • Patent number: 5647805
    Abstract: A lightweight and portable system to place a golf ball onto a tee. The present invention comprises a housing which has a hopper bin defined in the upper region thereof. The hopper is designed to accommodate up to four dozen golf balls at a time so that a golfer may "drive" numerous times without having to stop often and reload the hopper. Preferably, the interior of the hopper bin is sloped to form a rough funnel shape such that the golf balls are distributed one-at-a-time into a trough which is coupled to the hopper. Internal of the housing is the apparatus by which the golf balls are distributed single file through a delivery tube to the specialized ball placement mechanism. The most significant features of the present invention is the specialized ball placement mechanism which permits a golfer to tee their ball prior to driving at varying heights and the lever mechanism which allows a golfer to rapidly dispense a practice ball without drastically altering his stance or changing his grip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 15, 1997
    Inventor: Robert S. Tarbox, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5580318
    Abstract: A golf ball delivery system includes a tee holder adapted to support a golf ball tee upon the ground and a golf ball dispenser coupled with the tee holder. The golf ball dispenser includes a container for holding a plurality of golf balls, a support rotatably supporting the container horizontally above the ground and a delivery chute rigidly attached to the container and defining a golf ball transporting passage. The container has first and second ends and an outlet hole in the first end. The first end of the container is disposed closer to the ground than the second end such that golf balls within the container gravitate toward the first end. The delivery chute has a golf ball receiving end rigidly attached to the first end of the container with the passage in communication with the outlet hole and has a golf ball delivering end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 3, 1996
    Inventor: Robert E. Weber
  • Patent number: 5549518
    Abstract: A golf ball dispensing device includes: a pivotal track pivotally mounted in and normally vertically erected on a housing by a pivot, a hopper fitted on the housing for loading golf balls into the housing, an unloading lever formed on a first side portion of the pivot of the pivotal track and a counterweight secured on a balancing lever formed on a second side portion of the pivot opposite to the unloading lever, and a trigger device pivotally mounted on the housing about the pivot, whereby upon a manual depression such as depressed by a golf club or driver on the trigger device to bias the unloading lever downwardly from the vertically erected position, a golf ball received on a concave portion on the rear end portion of the unloading lever will gravitationally roll down along the unloading lever to a tee to be struck by a golfer; and after discharging the golf ball from the unloading lever, the counterweight on the balancing lever will automatically restore the pivotal track vertically ready for a next teei
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 27, 1996
    Inventor: Austin Wang