Information
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Patent Grant
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6513652
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Patent Number
6,513,652
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Date Filed
Friday, September 7, 200122 years ago
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Date Issued
Tuesday, February 4, 200321 years ago
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Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
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International Classifications
-
Abstract
A golf bag having a unitary tubular body and a method of making the body are disclosed. The body has a generally ovoid cross sectional shape with a small radius portion of the ovoid shape forming a ridge which extends generally longitudinally of the body. A handle and an upstanding rib extend from the ridge. The rib is provided with a plurality of transverse slots arranged along its length for attachment of a pocket assembly. A protective collar is attached to the body at an open top end thereof, and an upper end of a shoulder strap is coupled to the protective collar. A lower end of the shoulder strap is connected to the body between the handle and the rib.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to golf equipment and, in particular, to a golf bag with a shoulder strap and an integral handle.
Lightweight bags for carrying golf clubs such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,235 to J. A. Solheim and G. J. Schmidt are normally formed with molded top and bottom structures and have a tubular fabric body, which is usually made of nylon, extending between the molded top and bottom structures and attached thereto by sewing. The spacing between the molded top and bottom structures and the shape of the tubular body are established and maintained by longitudinal stays such as wooden or fiber glass dowels contained within sleeves which are sewn inside the body. The stays have their opposite ends engaged with the top and bottom structures.
These lightweight bags, or “carry bags” as they are sometimes called, are provided with suitable pockets for carrying accessories such as golf balls, tees and other equipment with such pockets being normally affixed to the outer surface of the bag body. Also, lightweight bags have a shoulder strap which may be either a single strap for supporting the bag on only one shoulder or a dual shoulder strap for supporting the bag on both shoulders. In addition, lightweight carry bags are often provided with a stand mechanism such as shown in the above-mentioned J. A. Solheim et al patent which supports the bag in a propped-up position when it is set down on the ground so that a golfer does not need to bend over to pick up the bag. Stand mechanisms for golf bags are usually movable between an extended position and a retracted position.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a golf bag having a generally tubular body with a closed bottom end and an open top end. An upstanding rib is formed integrally on and along one side of the body. The rib extends generally longitudinally of the body from proximate the closed bottom end thereof toward the open top end thereof. Attachment means are provided for connecting a lower end of a shoulder strap to the body, and a protective collar mounted on the open top end of the body includes a strap for coupling an upper end of the shoulder strap thereto. A handle may be formed integrally with and along the same side of the body as the rib in alignment with the rib and proximate the open top end thereof. The body may have a generally ovoid cross sectional shape with a small radius portion of the ovoid shape forming a ridge which extends generally longitudinally of the body. The handle and the rib will extend outwardly from the ridge. The attachment means for connecting the shoulder strap to the body may include an annular groove which is formed in the body between the handle and the rib and an attachment strap on the shoulder strap lower end. This attachment strap is received in the annular groove. The rib provides rigidity to the body and functions to attach a pocket assembly to the body.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a perspective view of a golf bag incorporating a body according to the present invention;
FIG. 2
is a perspective view similar to
FIG. 1
with a pocket assembly, a stand and a protective collar removed from the body;
FIG. 3
is an enlarged end view of the body taken along the lines
3
—
3
in
FIG. 2
;
FIG. 4
is an enlarged sectional view of the body taken along the lines
4
—
4
in
FIG. 2
;
FIG. 5
is an enlarged sectional view of the body taken along the lines
5
—
5
in
FIG. 1
also showing a shoulder strap connected to the body by a connector device;
FIG. 6
is an enlarged sectional view similar to
FIG. 5
showing another connector device for connecting the shoulder strap to the body;
FIG. 7
is an enlarged sectional view similar to
FIGS. 5 and 6
showing a further connector device for connecting the shoulder strap to the body;
FIG. 8
is an enlarged plan view of the protective collar with portions thereof broken away;
FIG. 9
is an enlarged sectional view taken along the lines
9
—
9
in
FIG. 8
;
FIG. 10
is a schematic illustration of molding apparatus used in making the golf bag body of the present invention; and
FIG. 11
is a schematic view showing the molding apparatus of
FIG. 10
in a closed position.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to the drawings,
FIG. 1
shows a golf bag incorporating a generally tubular body according to the present invention with the golf bag being indicated generally by the reference numeral
10
and the body being indicated generally by the reference numeral
12
. The golf bag
10
includes a pocket assembly
14
for carrying accessories used in playing golf such as golf balls, tees and the like. The pocket assembly
14
is removably attached to the body
12
by suitable straps
16
(only one of which is shown). Also included on the golf bag
10
is a stand
18
for propping up the body
12
so that, whenever the golf bag
10
is resting on the ground, heads of the golf club heads (not shown) carried in the golf bag
10
will not contact the ground. The body
12
has a protective collar
20
attached thereto with the collar
20
having an upper end
22
of a shoulder strap
24
coupled thereto. A lower end
26
of the shoulder strap
24
is attached to the body
12
by an attachment strap
28
.
Referring now also to
FIGS. 2
,
3
, and
4
, the body
12
of the present invention is shown. The body
12
is an elongated unitary structure having a closed bottom end
30
and an open top end
32
. The body
12
preferably has a generally ovoid cross sectional shape (as best seen in
FIG. 3
) so that a relatively small radius portion SR of the ovoid shape provides a ridge
34
which extends generally longitudinally of the body
12
. A handle
36
is integrally formed on and along one side of the body
12
so as to extend therefrom in a plane which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the body
12
. The handle
36
is positioned on the ridge
34
proximate the open top end
32
of the body
12
. Attachment means are provided on the body
12
so that the lower end
26
of the shoulder strap
24
may be connected to the body
12
. This attachment means includes an annular groove
38
formed in the body
12
and the attachment strap
28
on the lower end
26
of the shoulder strap
24
which is received in the groove
38
to prevent longitudinal movement of the shoulder strap lower end
26
when the shoulder strap
24
is mounted on the body
12
in the manner shown in FIG.
1
.
A connector device is provided on the lower end
26
of the shoulder strap
24
and on the body
12
so that the shoulder strap
24
will extend normally from the body
12
in substantially the same perpendicular plane as the handle
36
. When the golf bag
10
is resting on the ground in the propped up position shown in
FIG. 1
, the shoulder strap
24
will be disposed in an upwardly extending position so that, without bending over, a golfer may pick up the golf bag
10
from the propped up position of FIG.
1
. In the connector device of
FIG. 5
, the shoulder strap
24
has a bifurcated shape on its lower end
26
so that the lower end
26
straddles the ridge
34
on the body
12
.
Another connector device for connecting a shoulder strap
24
a
to a body
12
a
is shown in
FIG. 6
wherein the body
12
a
provides a longitudinally extending ridge
34
a
with a flat surface
40
at the apex of the small radius portion SR of the ovoid shape of the body
12
a.
The flat surface
40
may extend the full length of the ridge
34
a
or it may be formed only where a bifurcated lower end
26
a
of a shoulder strap
24
a
is mounted on the body
12
a
by an attachment strap
28
a.
FIG. 7
shows a further connector device for connecting a shoulder strap
24
b
to a body
12
b
wherein the shoulder strap
24
b
will normally be disposed in a perpendicularly extending position with respect to the body
12
b
for the reasons set forth above. In the connector device of
FIG. 7
, the body
12
b
can be of any desired cross-sectional shape, such as round, and is provided with a mortise
42
within an annular groove (not shown but similar to annular groove
38
) of the body
12
b
where an attachment strap
28
b
attaches the shoulder strap
24
b
to the body
12
b.
A lower end
26
b
of the shoulder strap
24
b
is formed with a tenon
44
which mates with the mortise
42
to form a mortise-tenon joint which holds the shoulder strap
24
b
in the desired upwardly extending position when the golf bag
10
is resting on the ground in its propped up position by utilizing the stand
18
.
Referring again to
FIG. 2
, the body
12
also includes an upstanding rib
46
which extends generally longitudinally of the body
12
from proximate the closed bottom end
30
thereof toward the open top end
32
thereof. The rib
46
is located on the ridge
34
and extends outwardly therefrom. It will be understood that the groove
38
is located between the rib
46
and the handle
36
, and the rib
46
is formed integrally on the body
12
along the same side of the body
12
as the handle
36
in alignment with the handle
36
. The rib
46
is provided with a plurality of slots
48
along its length which extend transversely through the rib
46
. The rib
46
provides rigidity to the body
12
and functions to removably attach the pocket assembly
14
to the body
12
at a plurality of longitudinally selected locations. As mentioned above, the pocket assembly
14
is provided with two straps
16
(only one of which is shown in
FIG. 1
) with each strap
16
being positioned to pass through one of the slots
48
in the rib
46
and with the straps
16
being secured around the body
12
by suitable hook and loop fasteners (not shown).
The protective collar
20
, as best seen in
FIGS. 8 and 9
, has an ovoid shape that matches the ovoid shape of the open top end
32
of the body
12
, and it is provided with an inner web
52
and an outer web
54
. The opposite ends of the inner web
52
are attached to each other by sewing them together in an overlapped position, as shown at
56
in
FIG. 8
, to form the web
52
into an endless loop. The opposite ends of the outer web
54
are similarly sewn together at
58
, and the two webs
52
,
54
are arranged in a concentric relationship with an adjacent pair of their elongated edges
52
a,
54
a
being stitched together at
53
and with the webs
52
,
54
being turned inside out to form a blind seam
60
as seen in FIG.
9
. Such attachment of the inner and outer webs
52
and
54
to each other provides an annular space
62
between the webs
52
,
54
which is open at
64
for receiving the open top end
32
of the body
12
. When the protective collar
20
is mounted on the body
12
in this manner, it is then attached thereto by sewing. In addition to the webs
52
and
54
, the collar
20
is provided with a synthetic cover
66
which protects shafts of golf clubs that are carried in the golf bag
10
from abrasive damage. A cross bar
68
has its opposite ends connected to the inner web
52
such as by sewing so that the cross bar
68
spans the open top end
32
of the body
12
. The cross bar
68
which is also covered with a synthetic cover
70
provides segregated positioning of golf clubs in the golf bag
10
. The protective collar
20
is provided with a coupling strap
72
which extends from the apex of the small radius portion of its ovoid shape for coupling the upper end
22
of the shoulder strap
24
to the protective collar
20
and thus to the body
12
.
The golf bag body
12
may be formed by using any suitable molding technique such as injection molding or blow molding with blow molding being preferred. The preferred method of making the golf bag body
12
will now be described with reference being made to the schematic illustrations of
FIGS. 10 and 11
. The method includes forming a pair of mold halves
74
and
76
with an internal cavity
78
therebetween which conforms to the golf bag body
12
, and providing suitable means such as hydraulic cylinders
80
and
82
for moving the mold halves
74
,
76
between open and closed positions. A suitable mixture of synthetic resin
84
is supplied to an input end
86
of a screw extruder
88
, and the screw extruder
88
is driven to plasticize the resin mixture
84
and deliver it to an input end
90
of a heated accumulator
92
which also has an output end
94
. The mold halves
74
,
76
are located adjacent the output end
94
of the accumulator
92
while the mold halves
74
,
76
are in their open position. The accumulator
92
has a cylindrical pushing mechanism
95
therein which pushes the heated resin mixture through a die
96
provided in the accumulator
92
to shape the resin mixture into a tubular body
98
which exits the output end
94
of the accumulator
92
and enters the internal cavity
78
between the mold halves
74
,
76
. The mold halves
74
,
76
are then moved into their closed position (
FIG. 11
) which seals the opposite ends of the generally tubular body
98
, and air under pressure is then blown through an injector pin
100
into the tubular body
98
to force it into conformity with the cavity
78
of the mold halves
74
,
76
. Finally, the mold halves
74
,
76
are cooled and moved to their open position so the tubular body
98
may be removed therefrom. An upper end of the tubular body
98
is cut off to complete the golf bag body
12
.
Claims
- 1. A golf bag comprising:a generally tubular body having a closed bottom end and an open top end; an upstanding rib on said body, said rib extending generally longitudinally of said body from proximate the closed bottom end thereof toward the open top end thereof; said rib being formed integrally on and along one side of said body; a handle formed integrally on and along said one side of said body in alignment with said rib and proximate the open top end of said body; said body having an ovoid cross sectional shape with a small radius portion of the ovoid shape forming a ridge which extends longitudinally of said body, said handle and said rib extending outwardly from said ridge; said body having an annular groove formed therein intermediate said rib and said handle for receiving an attachment strap which connects a lower end of a shoulder strap to said body with the lower end of the shoulder strap being in engagement with said ridge; and a protective collar mounted on the open top end of the body, said protective collar having a strap extending therefrom for coupling an upper end of the shoulder strap thereto.
- 2. The golf bag of claim 1, wherein said body is formed by utilizing a blow molding process.
- 3. A golf bag comprising:a generally tubular body having a closed bottom end and an open top end; an upstanding rib on said body, said rib extending generally longitudinally of said body from proximate the closed bottom end thereof toward the open top end thereof; attachment means for connecting a lower end of a shoulder strap to said body; said attachment means including an annular groove formed in said body; and said attachment means also including an attachment strap on the shoulder strap lower end, said attachment strap being received in said annular groove.
- 4. A golf bag comprising:a generally tubular body having a closed bottom end and an open top end; a handle formed integrally on and along one side of said body proximate the open top end thereof; an upstanding rib formed integrally on and along said one side of said body in alignment with said handle, said rib extending generally longitudinally of said body from proximate the closed bottom end thereof toward the open top end thereof; said body including an annular groove formed therein between said handle and said rib; and a shoulder strap having a lower end connected to said body by an attachment strap which is received in said annular groove.
- 5. The golf bag of claim 4, further comprising a protective collar on the open top end of said body, and wherein said shoulder strap has an upper end coupled to said protective collar.
US Referenced Citations (19)