Patent Application
20190301080
The present invention relates to a device that can be mounted to a golf cart for securely holding a golf glove. The device holds the golf glove in such a way that air flows through the glove, allowing the glove to dry quickly.
Many golfers wear a golf glove while playing golf. Many of these golfers, however, do not wear the glove for the entire round of golf. Instead, many golfers wear a golf glove for their tee shot and most of their fairway shots but remove it for close-in chip shots and for putting. When golfers remove their glove, they often either stuff the glove into their back pocket or leave the glove in their golf cart until they put the glove back on at the next tee box.
During hotter months in many climates, a golfer's glove can get very sweaty while being worn, leading to the glove becoming wet, uncomfortable, and/or less effective since the sweat makes it more slippery. When a golfer stuffs the glove into their back pocket or leaves the glove in the cart when not being used, the glove does not get an opportunity to effectively dry.
To address this problem, some golfers wear multiple gloves throughout their round of golf, rotating gloves so that one is drying while the other is being used. Other golfers simply continue wearing their wet, sweaty gloves for the round and deal with the lessened effectiveness of the glove and the discomfort of wearing a wet, sweaty glove.
The method of rotating between multiple gloves can be expensive because golfers use more than one glove per round of golf. In addition, even with rotating multiple gloves, the gloves may not ever get completely dry.
Another problem is that when a golf glove is left unsecured in the golf cart when not being used, the glove can accidentally fall out of the cart and be lost on the golf course.
Accordingly, a need exists for an apparatus that a golfer can use to secure and help dry their golf glove during a round of golf.
The presently disclosed subject matter provides a device that can be either removably mounted to or that is integrated into a golf cart for securely holding a golf glove such that air flows through the glove and facilitates quicker drying of the glove without worrying about losing the glove.
According to one embodiment, an apparatus is disclosed for attaching a golf glove to a golf cart and holding the glove in such a way that air will flow through it so that it will dry faster. The golf-glove drying apparatus includes a mounting bracket having a first position in which the bracket is detached from a golf cart and a second position in which the bracket is secured to the golf cart in response to a user manipulating the bracket; a glove support for holding a golf glove such that air can flow into the glove, wherein the glove support defines a perimeter that engages the glove when the glove is supported thereby in order to open the glove to a shape approximating the perimeter, and wherein the glove is engaged with the glove support by stretching the open portion of the glove into engagement with the support; and a support rod attached at one thereof to the mounting bracket and attached at an opposite end thereof to the glove support.
According to another embodiment, an apparatus is disclosed for attaching a golf glove to a golf cart and holding the glove in such a way that air will flow through it so that it will dry faster. The golf-glove drying apparatus is integrated into a support structure of a golf cart and includes a glove support for holding a golf glove such that air can flow into the glove, wherein the glove support defines a perimeter that engages the glove when the glove is supported thereby in order to open the glove to a shape approximating the perimeter, and wherein the glove is engaged with the glove support by stretching the open portion of the glove into engagement with the support; and a support rod attached at one end thereof to a support structure of a golf cart and attached at an opposite end thereof to the glove support.
According to another embodiment, an apparatus is disclosed for attaching a golf glove to a golf cart and holding the glove in such a way that air will flow through it so that it will dry faster. The golf-glove drying apparatus includes a mounting bracket including a support forming a perpendicular angle for engaging a support post of a golf cart and a securing strap made of hook-and-loop material, with hook material on one surface of the securing strap and loop material on an opposite surface of the securing strap, wherein the mounting bracket has a first position in which the bracket is detached from the golf cart and a second position in which the bracket is secured to the golf cart such that the perpendicular angle engages the support post of the golf cart and the securing strap wraps around the support post such that the hook material engages the loop material to secure the bracket in place; a glove support for holding a golf glove such that air can flow into the glove, wherein the glove support is in a shape of a hollow cylinder having one or more open areas in a wall of the hollow cylinder that defines a perimeter that engages the glove when the glove is supported by the perimeter to open the glove to a shape approximating the perimeter, and wherein the glove is engaged with the glove support by stretching the open portion of the glove into engagement with the support; and a support rod attached at one end thereof to the mounting bracket and attached at an opposite end thereof to the glove support.
In some embodiments, the glove support of the golf-glove drying apparatus is in a shape of a hollow cylinder or an elliptical hollow cylinder.
In some embodiments, the glove support of the golf-glove drying apparatus includes at least one open area in a wall of the cylinder.
In some embodiments, the mounting bracket of the golf-glove drying apparatus includes a securing strap.
In some embodiments, the securing strap of the golf-glove drying apparatus is made of hook-and-loop material, with hook material on a surface of thereof and loop material on an opposite surface thereof.
In some embodiments, the mounting bracket of the golf-glove drying apparatus includes a spring-loaded clip or a screw-type fastener for securing the mounting bracket.
In some embodiments, the glove support of the golf-glove drying apparatus includes a spring-loaded clip for securing a golf glove to the glove support.
In some embodiments, the golf-glove drying apparatus is made of steel, plastic, and/or injection-molded plastic.
In some embodiments, the golf-glove drying apparatus is integrated into the support structure such that the golf-glove drying apparatus is permanently attached to the support structure.
In some embodiments, the golf-glove drying apparatus attaches to a motorized golf cart or a push/pull-style golf cart.
The features and advantages described in this summary and the following detailed description are not all-inclusive. Many additional features and advantages will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the drawings, specification, and claims presented herein.
The present embodiments are illustrated by way of example and are not intended to be limited by the figures of the accompanying drawings.
The following description and figures are illustrative and are not to be construed as limiting. Numerous specific details are described to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosure. However, in certain instances, well-known or conventional details are not described in order to avoid obscuring the description. References to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” in the present disclosure can be—but are not necessarily—references to the same embodiment and such references mean at least one of the embodiments.
Reference in this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the disclosure. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Moreover, various features are described that may be exhibited by some embodiments and not by others. Similarly, various requirements are described that may be requirements for some embodiments but not for other embodiments.
The terms used in this specification generally have their ordinary meanings in the art, within the context of the disclosure, and in the specific context where each term is used. Certain terms that are used to describe the disclosure are discussed below, or elsewhere in the specification, to provide additional guidance to the practitioner regarding the description of the disclosure. For convenience, certain terms may be highlighted, for example using bold, italics, underlining, and/or quotation marks. The use of highlighting has no influence on the scope and meaning of a term; the scope and meaning of a term is the same, in the same context, whether or not it is highlighted. It will be appreciated that same thing can be said in more than one way.
Consequently, alternative language and synonyms may be used for any one or more of the terms discussed herein, nor is any special significance to be placed upon whether or not a term is elaborated or discussed herein. Synonyms for certain terms are provided. A recital of one or more synonyms does not exclude the use of other synonyms. The use of examples anywhere in this specification, including examples of any terms discussed herein, is illustrative only, and is not intended to further limit the scope and meaning of the disclosure or of any exemplified term. Likewise, the disclosure is not limited to various embodiments given in this specification.
Without intent to limit the scope of the disclosure, examples of instruments, apparatus, methods and their related results according to the embodiments of the present disclosure are given below. Note that titles or subtitles may be used in the examples for convenience of a reader, which in no way should limit the scope of the disclosure. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. In the case of conflict, the present document, including definitions, will control.
As described in greater detail below, the subject matter disclosed herein includes a device that can be mounted to a golf cart for securely holding a golf glove in such a way that air flows through the glove to facilitate quicker drying of the glove.
To use glove-holding device 110, a person may pull a golf glove onto or around glove support 112 in a similar way as the person would pull the glove onto their hand. Glove support 112 may define a perimeter that engages the glove when the glove is supported by glove support 112 to open the glove to a shape that approximates the perimeter of glove support 112. In this way, the glove is engaged by glove support 112 by stretching the open portion of the glove into engagement with glove support 112. If the glove includes a strap, then the strap may be tightened around glove support 112 to further secure it. An example of glove-holding device 110 in use is shown in
Glove support 112 may be a variety of shapes within the scope of this disclosure. The shape of glove support 112 may serve two purposes. First, the shape of glove support 112 may be selected such that it is similar to a golf glove so that a golf glove will securely and/or snugly fit over glove support 112 in a substantially open position. The secure/snug fit holds the glove on glove support 112 such that the glove is unlikely to fall off glove support 112 while the golf cart is moving. The substantially open position allows air to flow into and through the glove, which contributes to faster drying of the glove. Second, the shape of glove support 112 may be selected such that it allows air to flow through glove support 112, which contributes to faster drying of the glove. There are numerous shapes over which a golf glove may snugly fit such that the glove is securely held in place in a substantially open position that allows air to flow into and through the glove. In other embodiments, glove support 112 may further include a spring-loaded clip that engages the glove or another mechanism for further securing a golf glove to glove support 112.
In the embodiment shown in
In addition, glove support 112 may be open or skeletal in structure to allow for maximum airflow into and through the golf glove. For example, in the embodiment shown in
Glove support 112 may vary in size to accommodate different sizes of golf gloves (e.g., men's small/medium/large, women's small/medium/large, kids' sizes, etc.). Similarly, glove support 112 may be adjustable in size so that it can accommodate various glove sizes.
As shown in the embodiment in
Mounting bracket 116 may be used to temporarily mount glove-holding device 110 so that it can be attached/removed easily. This may be desirable for golfers who rent/borrow golf carts at one or more golf courses. An easy mechanism for attaching/removing glove-holding device 110 allows a golfer to keep glove-holding device 110 in their golf bag and simply attach it to their golf cart when they arrive at the golf course, and then remove it when they finish their round.
In the embodiment shown in
In the embodiment shown in
In other embodiments, mounting bracket 116 may not use securing strap 118 to attach to a golf cart but instead use other ways of fastening. For example, mounting bracket 116 may include a spring-loaded clip or other mechanism to clamp onto a bar of a golf cart. As another example, mounting bracket 116 may include a screw-type fastener to create pressure against a post on a golf cart.
In the embodiment shown in
Alternatively, glove-holding device 110 may be integrated into a support structure of a golf cart. A support structure of the golf cart may include, for example, a substantially upright post that supports the roof of the golf cart on either side of the windshield or a substantially upright post that supports the roof of the golf cart at the rear of the golf cart. Similarly, the support structure of the golf cart may include, for example, an armrest of the golf cart, the dash of the golf cart, the roof of the golf cart, or the storage area at the rear of the golf cart where golf bags, coolers, sand for fixing divots, etc. can be stored. On a push/pull-style golf cart, the support structure may include the post connected to the push/pull handle or other posts on the golf cart that give the cart its shape and/or support a golf bag. Glove-holding device 110 may be integrated in such a way that that rod 114 is attached to the support structure of the golf cart. In one embodiment, glove-holding device 110 is integrated into the support structure of the golf cart such that it is permanently attached to the golf cart.
In the embodiment shown in
In the embodiment shown in
Alternatively, as explained in the context of
Glove-holding device 110 may be made of a number of different materials within the scope of this disclosure. For example, it may be made out of steel or other metals. In such an example, mounting bracket 116 and glove support 112 may be welded to rod 114 at attachment points 124 and 122, respectively. In another example, glove-holding device 110 may be made out of plastic, for example, by injection molding or 3D printing.
In one embodiment, glove-holding device 110 may be bright orange in color, so that it will stand out against the generally black components of the golf cart that it is mounted to. By standing out as bright orange, it may be easier for the golfer to see, so that the golfer will remember to remove the glove-holding device 110 from the golf cart when returning the cart after the round of golf is over. Bright orange may also make glove-holding device 110 easier to find in a dark golf bag. In other embodiments, glove-holding device 110 may be any color or combination of colors. For example, it may be multicolored to represent the colors of a golfer's favorite sports team.
In one embodiment, glove-holding device 110 may be incorporated into or with other mountable accessories for a golf cart, such as, for example, a cigar holder or a golf-tee holder.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
The descriptions of the various embodiments of the disclosed subject matter have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application or technical improvement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.
