The present invention relates generally to sporting goods, and more particularly to a device for use in the game of golf to repair divots.
The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
The game of golf is one of the most widely played sports activities in the world. Golf courses typically include either 9 or 18 holes, each comprising a teeing ground, a fairway area, one or more roughs (and other hazards), as well as a putting green where the hole is located.
Once the golf ball is on the green, a specialized golf club called a putter is used by the golfer. Putters are designed to strike a golf ball in a manner that keeps the ball on the ground, thereby ensuring greater accuracy. In this regard, it is important that the putting green be maintained with a smooth and uniform surface. However, putting greens can be damaged when golf balls are hit from a distance and drop onto the surface of the green. The landing of the ball can produce a depression/divot in the surface of the green, which can seriously affect the ability of the golfer to accurately putt.
There are several known tools for attempting to repair a divot. These tools typically include a plurality of straight shafts that are inserted into the turf at a 45 degree angle, until the distal end of the tool is located beneath the divot. At that time, the user must bend the device so that the portion of the tool under the damaged turf can move upward. This process must be repeated several times as the user must repeat the procedure in a circular pattern around the perimeter of the divot. Unfortunately, by repeatedly puncturing the turf surrounding the divot, these tools often create brown, dead patches of grass or bare exposed soil. This type of action tears the roots from the upper leaf and creates an air pocket between them. When this occurs, the turf is damaged and typically takes at least a month for the green to fully recover.
Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide a divot repair tool which can allow a user to quickly and easily repair divot marks without suffering from the drawbacks of the above noted devices.
The present invention is directed to a divot repair tool. One embodiment of the present invention can include a main body having an internally located prong assembly with one or more prongs that can extend and retract from the main body. One or more of the elongated prongs can include a top end having a generally teardrop shape, and the tool can further include a central knob for receiving a twisting motion to transition the main body between the extended and retracted orientation.
Another embodiment of the present invention can include a plurality of elongated prongs having identical or different shapes, sizes, construction materials and ends.
Yet another embodiment of the present invention can include one or more elongated prongs that are fixedly secured along one end of a main body.
This summary is provided merely to introduce certain concepts and not to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter.
Presently preferred embodiments are shown in the drawings. It should be appreciated, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.
While the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the description in conjunction with the drawings. As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the inventive arrangements in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandable description of the invention. Although described with respect to the game of golf, the inventive concepts disclosed herein are not to be construed as limiting to any particular sport or usage, as many other applications are contemplated.
As described herein, the term “indicia” can include any type of decorative elements such as colors, markings, words, shapes, symbols, logos, designs, types of materials, texturing of materials, patterns, images, lithographs, photographs and/or jewels such as rubies, diamonds, emeralds and the like. The indicia can be secured onto and/or into the device elements in accordance with known techniques so as to be flush with the surface, or can be raised/protruding outward from the surface so as to give a three dimensional effect.
Identical reference numerals are used for like elements of the invention or elements of like function. For the sake of clarity, only those reference numerals are shown in the individual figures which are necessary for the description of the respective figure. For purposes of this description, the terms “upper,” “bottom,” “right,” “left,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in
The cap 15 can include a main body having a large bottom end 15a that tapers into a smaller top end 15b and a central aperture 15c. A connector such as a plurality of threaded elements (not illustrated), for example can be positioned along the bottom end 15a which can engage a complementary connector such as the threaded elements located on the below described cylinder 30.
In the preferred embodiment, each of the cylinder 30 and slide liner 40 can be constructed from lightweight materials such as injection molded plastic, for example. However, any number of other materials and/or markings, such as those described above with respect to the main body 20 is also contemplated. In this regard, each of the cylinder 30, slide liner 40 and main body 20 can include substantially identical construction materials, or different construction materials than one another.
As shown, the elongated prong 51 can include a bottom end 51a, a middle section 51b and a pointed, generally teardrop-shaped top end 51c. In the preferred embodiment, the elongated prong can be constructed from a sturdy and impact resistant material such as steel, for example, however other forms of metal, plastic and/or composites are also contemplated.
Although described as including a particular shape and construction material, other embodiments are contemplated wherein the prong or prongs (See
As shown best in
A tubular sealing member 58 can include a bottom end 58a, a middle section 58b and a top end 58c, having a central aperture 58d through which the middle portion of the elongated prong 51b can be positioned. The aperture can include a diameter that is complementary to the diameter of the middle portion 51b, so as to allow the prong to slide linearly between an extended and retracted position. The outside portion of the sealing member can include a dimension that is approximate to the opening of the cap 15c. In this regard, the sealing member can work in conjunction with the cap 15 to prevent foreign objects such as sand and other such debris from entering the main body 20, the channel 30, the and the slide liner 40, so as to prevent a buildup of material that could prevent normal and intended device operation.
As described herein, each of the prong holder 54 and the sealing member 58 can be constructed from lightweight materials such as injection molded plastic, for example. However, any number of other materials and/or markings, such as those described above with respect to the main body 20 are also contemplated. Although described above as utilizing a particular arrangement of components to transition the tool between an extended and retracted state, those of skill in the art will recognize that many other mechanisms can be employed to perform the described functionality without undue experimentation. To this end, any form of linear sliding mechanism, ratchet mechanism, twisting mechanism and the like are also contemplated.
By providing a teardrop-shaped distal end, each prong can be inserted into the central portion of a divot in a vertical (i.e., 90 degree angle with the ground), and can restore the damaged turf to a straight and level playing surface with a single attempt. In this regard,
In addition to the above, the tool can also be inserted at an angle from the outside edge of the divot/ball mark and then pushing or levering the upper part of the tool forward and stretching new grass in over the damaged area. This action can be repeated all around the ball mark. When so performed, the tool functions to cover the divot area with new ground, thus preventing an air pocket from forming (as happens with conventional divot repair tools) thus ensuring the turf does not become damaged and/or die.
Although illustrated with respect to a single prong, other embodiments having a plurality of prongs are also contemplated. For example,
As described herein, each element of the divot repair tool can be constructed from any number of different materials such as plastic, steel or aluminum, for example, which are durable and resistant to adverse weather conditions. Additionally, one or more elements of the device 10 can be secured together utilizing any number of known attachment means such as, for example, screws, glue, compression fittings and welds, among others. Moreover, although the above embodiments have been described as including separate individual elements, the inventive concepts disclosed herein are not so limiting. To this end, one of skill in the art will recognize that one or more individual elements of the device may be formed together as one continuous element, either through manufacturing processes, such as welding, casting, or molding, or through the use of a singular piece of material milled or machined with the aforementioned components forming identifiable sections thereof.
As to a further description of the manner and use of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided.
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.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/578,939 filed on Dec. 22, 2014 which claims priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 62/072,883 filed on 30 Oct., 2014. The contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62072883 | Oct 2014 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 14578939 | Dec 2014 | US |
Child | 15066618 | US |