Applicants claim priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 of GERMANY Application No. 101 16 052.6 filed on Mar. 30, 2001. Applicants also claim priority under 35 U.S.C. §365 of PCT/DE02/01106 filed on Mar. 27, 2002. The international application under PCT article 21(2) was not published in English.
The invention relates to a golf bag that essentially comprises a bag-type container that accommodates the clubs and at least one further insertable accessory, in which the clubs are disposed in recesses that are distributed around the circumference, thereby forming a center cavity, and that has a trolley on wheels and a towing bar with a handle.
Golf bags are known in great numbers and in the most varied embodiments. For example, so-called standing bags are used in many instances, which have a narrow, quiver-type container for the clubs and are provided with various pockets on the outside. Furthermore, they are equipped with support legs that open up when the bag is set down, and have not only a handle but also at least one carrying strap. The disadvantage of such golf bags can essentially be seen in the fact that they must be carried, that in order to facilitate carrying, they do not have a lot of storage space, and that they experience a severe stress on the support legs, which stress can actually lead to destruction, because of the constantly repeated setting-down process.
The most common form of golf bags used on golf courses is a spacious, bag-type container that accommodates the clubs, which is provided on the outside with a number of pockets that can be opened and closed with zippers, and which can be connected with a so-called trolley, to produce a mobile, i.e. pullable unit, by simple means. A trolley or a golf cart in turn consists essentially of a chassis with wheels and a towing bar with a handle, and can be broken down into its individual parts relatively quickly, at least in various embodiments.
Furthermore, electric drives are known in various embodiments, to support the pulling or pushing process of trolleys. The wheels are coupled with a battery-driven motor.
In addition to the golf bags that can be carried or driven, as described, which are considered to be generally known, special embodiments of golf bags are also known, as they are described in the following.
DE 299 19 158 U1 shows a golf bag that accommodates golf clubs and other equipment items, having a plurality of club holder elements that are formed by segments of hollow profiles and a bag body that surrounds a storage cavity, whereby the side wall formed in this way has at least two segments, releasably connected with one another, of club holder elements rigidly connected with one another. The golf bag can be (releasably) connected with the golf cart at the side wall, with one segment.
DE 37 05 187 A1 shows a golf bag which, comprising several components, can be combined to form a suitcase-like transportable unit, whereby the wheels and the chassis hoop can be pivoted to lie flush against the container.
DE 37 14 066 C2 shows a golf cart with an electric drive unit, in which the motor and the battery are housed in the interior of the container and drive both wheels.
However, since there is an undeniable tendency in golf as a sport to not always play only on one specific home golf course, but also to play on nearby or even more remote golf courses, the transport of a golf bag represents a particular problem. During travel, the trolley that is generally used is left out, since in its entirety, it is too bulky for any transport and cannot be accommodated in a travel bag in its individual parts.
The golf bags equipped with an integrated trolley bring particular difficulties with them, particularly if they are used frequently, because of their tendency to have problems. In order to be able to accommodate a trolley, particularly on wheels, in the bag, container, or carrying body, a plurality of connecting rods, supports, and articulations is required, which do not withstand frequent stresses.
In contrast to this, the invention is based on the task of creating a golf bag in which the container that accommodates the clubs can quickly and easily be connected with a trolley to produce a pullable and electrically driven golf cart, which has a stable, self-supporting container that accommodates the clubs and accessories, with appropriate storage space, and which can be turned into a practical, easy to handle, compact, travel-capable, suitcase-type transport unit, in simple manner, including the trolley.
It is easily possible to provide the golf cart with an electric drive. For this purpose, it is necessary to provide an additional, releasable wheel at the bottom of the container, which is driven by way of an electric motor, whereby the battery and the motor can be housed in the container. Operation of the drive can take place from the handle of the towing bar, whereby the corresponding cables can be passed through the towing bar. It can furthermore be viewed as a particular advantage that the complete, mobile unit can be used alternately as an electric or manual golf trolley with a bag, during play operation, without having to be refitted.
This task is accomplished, according to the invention, in that the clubs are accommodated in chambers subdivided by means of partitions between an inner tube and an outer tube, or by a central cavity, in tubes arranged distributed over the circumference, and that several chambers, i.e. tubes form a flap across the length of the container that can be opened or closed, and that the container can be provided with a hoop that is configured as a trolley and can be linked with wheels, and with covers on the top and bottom end that can be partially pulled onto the bag and are adapted to the cross-section of the container, and can be linked, by means of a central linkage, to produce a suitcase-like, transportable unit, whereby the wheels are accommodated in the two covers and the trolley hoop is accommodated in the interior of the container.
The particular advantage can be seen in that the chambers, tubes, for example made of plastic or a light metal, which guarantee gentle handling and a constant overview of the sequence of the clubs, form a stable, self-supporting container as the basis for the entire unit. The container has a cavity over its entire length, which can be used as storage space, and which is accessible by way of a corresponding flap.
The container, formed from chambers, tubes, using the so-called sandwich construction method, is equipped with a locking device of a known construction, for releasably accommodating a trolley configured as a hoop with wheels, so that the pullable and electrically drivable golf cart can be set up in a few minutes, by affixing the trolley and pulling out and locking in place a telescope-type towing bar with handle, which is housed in chambers.
On the other hand, the golf cart can be converted into a travel-ready, suitcase-type transport unit by partially pulling on a top and a bottom cover and tightening them in place by means of a central linkage, in a few moments, whereby all of the individual parts are housed in the unit, in practical manner, and the transport unit is provided with appropriate towing bars, handles, and rollers. Within the scope of the invention, it proves to be particularly advantageous that the cross-section of the container and the covers is structured in such a way that the wheels find room on the two covers and are held immovably in their position by means of the central linkage.
The top cover protects the club heads and can be tightened in place by way of a central linkage. Within the scope of the invention, however, it is also possible to link the covers with the container by way of snaps, Velcro, or other closures, to produce a unit. In order to house the club heads of long clubs, for example woods, in gentle manner, without having to make the top cover unnecessarily large, an embodiment of the invention provides for passing the shafts of these clubs through bottom openings of the container and through openings provided between the spokes of the wheels.
In order to be able to house the hoop, which can be releasably locked in place on the container, and is configured as a trolley and equipped with axles having wheels, in the container in simple manner, the hoop is structured in two parts.
Various embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings and will be explained in greater detail in the following. The drawings show:
FIGS. 1+1a a side view of a pullable golf cart,
FIGS. 2+2a a rear view of the golf cart shown in
FIGS. 3+3a a view of a hoop configured as a trolley,
FIGS. 5+5a a side view of the parts, which can be assembled to produce a transport unit,
FIGS. 6+6a a side view of the assembled transport unit, partly in cross-section,
FIGS. 7+8 a top view of other exemplary embodiments,
FIGS. 9+9a a top view of the complete electric drive unit,
FIGS. 1+1a show a side view of a drivable or pullable golf bag 1 as an exemplary embodiment, which essentially comprises a container 5, having chambers (9) distributed over the circumference, in combination with a hoop 11 having wheels 13, as a trolley. The hoop 11, as
In FIGS. 1+1a and 2+2a, the clubs indicated within the container 5 are indicated with the reference number 2. From the rear view according to
In the side view according to FIGS. 5+5a, the essential parts, specifically the container 5 and the covers 21 and 22, are shown in the non-assembled state. The top cover 21 has a rope handle, which can be recessed, for example, as the towing handle 29, using which the suitcase-type unit according to
In FIGS. 6+6a, the essential individual parts 5, 21, and 22 are linked with one another by means of a centrally arranged linkage 23, to form a suitcase-type, transportable unit. According to another exemplary embodiment, not shown in the drawings, another form of linking the covers 21, 22 with the container 5 could also be provided. For example, the covers 21, 22 could have an inside bead that could guarantee that they are pulled over to the desired length. Furthermore, the covers 21, 22 could then be connected with the container 5 by way of other closures, such as closures in the form of snaps or Velcro, for example.
FIGS. 9+9a show the entire electric drive unit 60 which can be inserted into the holder tubes 48, according to
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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101 16 052 | Mar 2001 | DE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/DE02/01106 | 3/27/2002 | WO | 00 | 9/29/2003 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
WO02/078796 | 10/10/2002 | WO | A |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20040113380 A1 | Jun 2004 | US |