Patent Application
20250032868
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The disclosure relates to golf ball retrieving devices and more particularly pertains to a new golf ball retrieving device allowing a person to utilize a grip of their putter to retrieve a golf ball and thereby forgo having to bend over to pick up a golf ball.
The prior art relates to golf ball retrieving devices which deviate from combined grip and ball retrievers to render such devices compliant with PGA Tour requirements.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a tube and a golf ball engagement member, which comprise a resiliently bendable material. The tube has a lower end, which is open, an upper end, which is closed, and defines a cylindrical interior space, which is configured to receive a shaft of a putter that is inserted through the lower end so that the shaft is frictionally attached to the tube. An upper section of the tube adjacent to the upper end is circumferentially smaller than a lower section of the tube. A first coupler is attached to the upper section. The golf ball engagement member comprises a cup, which is configured to reversibly attach to a golf ball, and a socket, which is attached to and which extends from a bottom of the cup. The socket is sized complementarily to the upper section of the tube so that the upper section is selectively insertable into the socket. A second coupler, which is attached to and positioned in the socket, is complementary to the first coupler so that the second coupler engages the first coupler upon insertion of the upper section into the socket to removably attach the golf ball engagement member to the tube.
Another embodiment of the disclosure includes a golf ball retrieving putter grip system, which comprises a putter along with a tube and a golf ball engagement member, as per the disclosure above. The tube and the golf ball engagement member are comprised of a resiliently bendable material. The tube has a lower end and an upper end, which are open and closes, respectively. A shaft of the putter is positioned in the cylindrical interior space so that the shaft is frictionally attached to the tube. The upper section of the tube is selectively insertable into the socket with the first coupler engaging the second coupler to removably attach the golf ball engagement member to the tube.
Yet another embodiment of the disclosure includes a method of retrieving a golf ball from a golf ball cup entailing provision a golf ball retrieving putter grip assembly, according to the disclosure above. Steps of the method include inserting a shaft of a putter through the lower end of the tube into the cylindrical interior space so that the shaft is frictionally attached to the tube. The tube is thereafter used in a conventional manner as a grip for the putter, putting a golf ball into a golf ball cup, inserting the upper section of the tube into the socket, inverting the putter, positioning the cup, pressing downwardly on the cup to reversibly attach the cup to the golf ball, rotating the putter longitudinally, and applying pressure on the golf ball lateral to the top of the cup to cause the cup to deform and to release the golf ball.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
An upper section 26 of the tube 12 adjacent to the upper end 18 is circumferentially smaller than a lower section 28 of the tube 12. The lower section 28 may comprise an inner layer 30 and an outer layer 32, as is shown in
The golf ball engagement member 14 comprises a cup 42, which is configured to reversibly attach to a golf ball (not shown), and a socket 44, which is attached to and which extends from a bottom 46 of the cup 42. The cup 42 has a depth of between 2.03 cm and 2.16 cm. A top 48 of the cup 42 has a diameter of between 6.94 cm and 4.09 cm. A lip 50 is attached to the top 48 of the cup 42 and extends inwardly over an opening 52 of the cup 42 for a distance of between 0.38 mm and 0.89 mm. The socket 44 is sized complementarily to the upper section 26 of the tube 12 so that the upper section 26 is selectively insertable into the socket 44. A second coupler 54, which is attached to and positioned in the socket 44, is complementary to the first coupler 34. The second coupler 54 engages the first coupler 34 upon insertion of the upper section 26 into the socket 44 to removably attach the golf ball engagement member 14 to the tube 12.
The second coupler 54 comprises a plurality of protrusions 56, with each protrusion 56 being attached to and extending from an inward surface 58 of the socket 44. The protrusion 56 is insertable into a respective annular groove 36 upon insertion of the upper section 26 into the socket 44. Each protrusion 56 of the plurality of protrusions 56 may comprise an annular ring 60, or protuberances of other shapes, such as, but not limited to, nubs, arcs, or the like. The present invention also anticipates the first coupler 34 and the second coupler 54 comprising other coupling means, such as, but not limited to, internal and external threading, magnets, or the like.
The golf ball engagement member 14 has a lower outer perimeter 62 that is sized complementarily to an outer circumference 64 of the tube 12. The golf ball engagement member 14 has an outer surface 66 that flares outwardly from the lower outer perimeter 62 and toward the top 48 of the cup 42. This shaping of the golf ball engagement member 14 provides a smooth transition from the tube 12 to the golf ball engagement member 14 and facilitates putting with the golf ball engagement member 14 attached to the tube 12, when such a configuration is permitted by the rules of play.
A first channel 68 extends axially through the upper end 18 of the tube 12 and a second channel 70 extends axially through the bottom 46 of the cup 42. The second channel 70 is aligned with the first channel 68 upon attachment of the golf ball engagement member 14 to the tube 12. The second channel 70 and the first channel 68 thus are configured for selective insertion of a threaded fastener (not shown) as a means to affix the golf ball engagement member 14 to the tube 12 in a more permanent manner.
The present invention also anticipates a golf ball retrieving putter grip system 72, which comprises a putter 24, a tube 12, and a golf ball engagement member 14. The tube 12 and the golf ball engagement member 14 are comprised of a resiliently bendable material. The tube 12 has a lower end 16 and an upper end 18, which are open and closed, respectively. The tube 12 defines a cylindrical interior space 20 in which is positioned a shaft 22 of the putter 24 is so that the shaft 22 is frictionally attached to the tube 12. A first coupler 34 is attached to an upper section 26 of the tube 12 adjacent to the upper end 18. The upper section 26 is circumferentially smaller than a lower section 28 of the tube 12.
The golf ball engagement member 14 of the golf ball retrieving putter grip system 72 comprises a cup 42, which is configured to reversibly attach to a golf ball, and a socket 44, which is attached to and which extends from a bottom 46 of the cup 42. The socket 44 is sized complementarily to the upper section 26 of the tube 12 so that the upper section 26 is selectively insertable into the socket 44. A second coupler 54 is attached to and is positioned in the socket 44. The second coupler 54 is complementary to the first coupler 34 so that the second coupler 54 engages the first coupler 34 upon insertion of the upper section 26 into the socket 44 to removably attach the golf ball engagement member 14 to the tube 12.
In use, the golf ball retrieving putter grip assembly 10 enables a method of retrieving a golf ball from a golf ball cup 74. The method 74 comprises providing a golf ball retrieving putter grip assembly 10, according to the specification above. A first step 76 of the method 74 is inserting a shaft 22 of a putter 24 through the lower end 16 of the tube 12 into the cylindrical interior space 20 so that the shaft 22 is frictionally attached to the tube 12. The tube 12 is thereafter used in a conventional manner as a grip for the putter 24. A second step 78 of the method 74 is putting a golf ball into a golf ball cup (not shown).
Upon completing a hole, a user may elect to retrieve the golf ball without bending over. A third step 80 of the method 74 thus is inserting the upper section 26 of the tube 12 into the socket 44 so that the second coupler 54 engages the first coupler 34 to removably attach the golf ball engagement member 14 to the tube 12. A fourth step 82 of the method 74 is inverting the putter 24. A fifth step 84 of the method 74 is positioning the cup 42 of the golf ball engagement member 14 over the golf ball. A sixth step 86 of the method 74 is pressing downwardly on the cup 42 using the putter 24 to reversibly attach the cup 42 to the golf ball. The cup 42 frictionally engages the golf ball to allow the golf ball to be lifted from the golf ball cup. The lip 50 facilitates the gripping of the golf ball with the cup 42. A seventh step 88 of the method 74 is rotating the putter 24 longitudinally. An eight step 90 of the method 74 is applying pressure on the golf ball laterally to the top 48 of the cup 42 to cause the cup 42 to deform and to release the golf ball. Thus, the golf ball can be retrieved without a need to bend over and grasp the golf ball by hand.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility 10 that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
