This application is a national stage of International Application No. PCT/JP2020/015289, filed Apr. 3, 2020, which claims the benefit of Japanese Application No. 2019-077316, filed Apr. 15, 2019, in the Japanese Patent Office, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a golf hole cup with a golf ball ejection device that ejects a golf ball that has entered the golf hole cup to the ground in response to an operation of pushing down a flagstick, and restores the original position when a hand is released from the flagstick thereafter.
Since 2019, the rules of golf have been revised to allow golfers to putt without removing the flagstick. Unfortunately, this forces one to pick up the ball that has dropped in the cup without removing the flagstick, which is very difficult because the flagstick gets in the way. Such a difficult situation may lead to a player forcibly picking up the ball, which may result in his or her finger or the ball rubbing against the edge (turf) around the cup to impose a huge impact on the play thereafter. This has become a very serious issue these days. Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2 are known as prior art documents related to the present invention.
Patent Literature 1: U.S. Pat. No. 1,402,026
Patent Literature 2: U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0207496
An object of the invention according to the present application is to provide a technique enabling a ball that has dropped in the cup to be easily ejected to the ground without removing the flagstick.
A golf hole cup with a golf ball ejection device can be used as a golf cup in a conventional manner with a flagstick removed, whereas also functions such that when the flagstick left inserted is held and pushed down by hand, the exerted force activates a drive unit to push a bottom plate part of the cup up to the ground so that a golf ball in the cup is ejected onto the ground, and when the hand is released thereafter, the bottom plate part returns to the original position. Thus, the object described above can be achieved.
A golf hole cup with a golf ball ejection device can be used as a golf cup in a conventional manner with a flagstick removed, whereas also functions such that when the flagstick left inserted is simply held and pushed down by hand, a golf ball in the cup is ejected onto the ground, and when the hand is released thereafter, the bottom plate part returns to the original position. Thus, the edge (turf) around the cup would not be damaged. Furthermore, the cup is good for the health since it does not require a person such as an elderly to bend deeply to pick up the ball and hence does not impose burdens on his or her legs or waist.
The objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent with the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.
A golf hole cup with a golf ball ejection device according to the invention of the present application includes a movable part B of a golf hole cup 2 into which a lower end portion A of a flagstick 1 is inserted, a guide part C that guides the movable part B upward and downward vertically, a transmission part D that transmits downward acting force from the movable part B, a drive unit E that converts the downward acting force into upward acting force, an elevation part F that is elevated upon receiving force from the drive unit E, a bottom plate part G that is tightly connected to and elevated with the elevation part F, and an elastic body H that exerts force to make the movable part B return to the original position, and functions such that when the flagstick 1 is pushed down while being left inserted in the golf hole cup 2, the bottom plate part G is elevated, and a golf ball 51 that has dropped in the cup can be pushed up to a level at or around the ground, and when a hand is released from the flagstick 1, the bottom plate part G returns to the original position due to the elastic body H.
A configuration of a golf hole cup of the present invention will be described with reference to
In the above description, the flagstick 1 is lowered by about 5 cm, but the distance is not limited to 5 cm depending on the force applied by the drive unit E and the elastic body H. It suffices if the bottom plate part G is elevated to a level slightly above the ground (turf surface). The reason why the distance is described above to be about 5 cm is because that should be a reasonable distance easily achievable without requiring a large amount of force. If the distance is too large, the hole cup would have a long size to be difficult to be installed. On the other hand, if the distance is too short, the drive unit E is forced to perform the operation under a heavier load directly related to a higher risk of failure. Furthermore, the restoring force of the elastic body H increases, and thus the flagstick 1 requires a larger amount of force to be pressed down. All things considered, the distance needs to be carefully adjusted.
The golf hole cup according to the present invention is made of metal with a lower risk of rusting, but may also be made of resin. The guide part C has a tubular shape, but may be in a form of rods arranged around the guiding path. In other words, the part may be in any form as long as the movable part B can be guided upward and downward vertically without hindering the operation of the elastic body H, and the acting force can be transmitted from the movable part B to the drive unit E through the transmission part D without burden.
A golf hole cup with a golf ball ejection device according to a first embodiment of the present invention illustrated as an example in
In a golf hole cup with a golf ball ejection device according to a second embodiment of the present invention illustrated as an example in
In a golf hole cup with a golf ball ejection device according to a third embodiment of the present invention illustrated as an example in
The drive units A are all in planer arrangement at three positions as illustrated in
In the illustrated example, a tubular elevation part main body 76, which is a main body part of the elevation part F and is movable upward and downward while being guided by the guide part C, is arranged on the outer side of the tubular guide part C in the radial direction. The tubular elevation part main body 76 also has a slit 85 extending vertically so as to avoid interference with the rod-shaped transmission part D. The bottom plate part G is connected to the top of the elevation part main body 76.
In the illustrated example, a pair of pulley supports 74 further stands on the base 81. The pair of pulley supports 74 is disposed at positions on both sides of the guide part C, that is, at positions that are on the outer side of the guide part C in the radial direction and are symmetrical about the center axis of the guide part C. Pulleys 71 and 75 that are concentric and have different diameters are rotatably supported on the respective pulley supports 74. The pulleys 71 and 75 that are concentric and have different diameters include a smaller pulley 71 which is a pulley with a relatively small diameter and a larger pulley 75 with a relatively large diameter. The smaller pulley 71 and the larger pulley 75 have a common rotation axis and are connected to each other so as to rotate together. The smaller pulley 71 and the larger pulley 75 may be connected to each other via a rotation shaft, or may be connected to each other via any other member. For example, they may be connected to each other by being screwed to each other. Alternatively, they may be connected to each other by an adhesive, welding, or the like. Furthermore, as in the illustrated example, the smaller pulley 71 and the larger pulley 75 may be integrally processed or molded. Thus, the term “pulleys that are concentric and have different diameters” is used in such a broad sense.
A wire-like body 70 has a base end connected to the smaller pulley 71, and the wire-like body 70 is wound around the smaller pulley 71 with this base end serving as the starting point of winding. The wire-like body 70 has the distal end connected to an end portion of the transmission part D. The end portion of the transmission part D corresponds to a protrusion portion 89 protruding outward in the radial direction from the side wall of the movable part (B). Thus, the distal end portions of a pair of wire-like bodies 70 are connected to both ends of the transmission part D, that is, a pair of protrusion portions 89. A wire-like body 73 has a base end connected to the larger pulley 75, and the wire-like body 73 is wound around the larger pulley 75 with this base end serving as the starting point of winding. The wire-like body 73 is wound in the direction opposite to that of the wire-like body 70. The distal end of the wire-like body 73 is connected to a connection part 72 that protrudes outward in the radial direction from the side wall of the elevation part main body 76. The connection part 72 is a part of the elevation part F. The pair of connection parts 72 are disposed at positions symmetrical relative to the center axis of the elevation part main body 76, and the distal ends of the pair of wire-like bodies 73 are connected thereto. The position of the distal end of the wire-like body 70 hanging from the smaller pulley 71 and the position of the distal end of the wire-like body 73 hanging from the larger pulley 75 are different from each other in the position around the center axis of the guide part C, that is, the position along the circumference. Thus, the positions of both end portions of the transmission part D, that is, the pair of protrusion portions 89 and the positions of the pair of connection parts 72 are different along the circumference. In the illustrated example, the wire-like bodies 70 and 73 are metal wires.
In the illustrated example, the elastic body H is connected to the base 81 and the elevation part F. In the illustrated example, the elastic body H is a tension coil spring, has the lower end connected to the base 81, and has the upper end connected to the connection part 87 protruding radially outward from the elevation part main body 76. The connection part 87 is a part of the elevation part F. Thus, the elevation part F is biased by the elastic restoring force of the elastic body H to be lowered to the original position from the elevated position. In the illustrated example, a pair of elastic bodies H are arranged at positions symmetrical relative to the center axis of the elevation part F.
The golf hole cup with the golf ball ejection device of the illustrated example, having the configuration as described above, function as follows. When the flagstick 1 is pushed down by, for example, 5 cm with the flagstick 1 left inserted in the movable part B, the transmission part D connected to the movable part B is lowered by 5 cm. As a result, the wire-like body 70 connected to the transmission part D is pulled down, and the smaller pulley 71 of the drive unit E connected to the wire-like body 70 rotates. The larger pulley 75 is connected to the smaller pulley 71, and thus the larger pulley 75 also rotates. When the wire-like body 73 connected to the larger pulley 75 is wound up by the rotating larger pulley 75, the elevation part F connected to the lower end portion of the wire-like body 73 via the connection part 72 and the bottom plate part G connected to the top portion of the elevation part F are elevated by 12 cm for example. As a result, the golf ball is ejected out of the hole.
When the hand releases the flagstick 1 after the golf ball is ejected, the elevation part F and the bottom plate part G are pulled down by the elastic restoring force of the elastic body H. As a result, the wire-like body 73 connected to the connection part 72 is pulled down, and the larger pulley 75 and the smaller pulley 71 rotate. As a result, the wire-like body 70 is wound up, whereby the transmission part D, the movable part B, and the flagstick 1 are elevated to their original positions.
Furthermore, as the wire-like bodies 70 and 73, wire-like bodies other than metal wires such as, for example, ropes, threads, or chains may be used. Generally, the wire-like bodies 70 and 73 may be any member that can be bent or curved smoothly, and may be, for example, a strip-shaped elongated body. Thus, the term “wire-like body” is used in such a broad sense.
The elastic body H of the present invention is a coil spring, whereas may also be a leaf spring or a rubber product.
The elevated bottom plate part G is donut-shaped in plan view, and has an umbrella-shaped cross section with a slope. Thus, the elevation thereof to a level slightly above the ground (turf surface) results in golf ball rolling onto the ground (onto the turf). Thus, the ball can be ejected onto the ground with one-handed operation only and without damaging a portion around the edge of the cup (turf). Furthermore, with the material of the bottom plate part G being metal, the sound of the golf ball dropping in the cup will be the same as that in a conventional one.
Considering the risk of rainwater or fine soil entering, the outer radius of the bottom plate part G is set to be about 5 mm smaller than that of cup 2, so that a gap is formed therebetween. Furthermore, several drain holes are provided. Drain holes 17 are provided at the bottom of the movable part B into which the flagstick 1 is inserted and the bottom of the guide part C, as well as the bottom of the cup 2, whereby the foreign object that has entered is ejected into the ground.
The golf hole cup 2 of the present invention has a size that allows the flagstick 1 and the lower end portion A of the flagstick 1 that are generally available on the market to be used, and the outer diameter of the cup is the same as those of conventional products. Thus, the golf hole cup 2 can easily be installed using a hole cutter that is also generally available on the market.
The golf hole cup of the present invention is of a manually operated type with a simple structure, and thus features excellent durability and is less likely to fail. The golf hole cup is described above as a product made of metal with a lower risk of rusting, but may be made of resin as long as the functions can be provided. The present invention enables mass-production at low cost.
This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-77316 filed in Japan on Apr. 15, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-77316 has already been patented as Japanese Patent No. 6604563, and the patent right has already been owned by the applicant of the present application through the procedure of transfer filed with the Japan Patent Office.
The above description of the specific embodiments of the present invention is presented as merely an example. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention strictly to the embodiments descried therein. It is apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous modifications and changes can be made based on the above description.
1 Flagstick
A Lower end portion of flagstick (socket at the bottom of flagstick 1)
B Movable part (the movable part in which the lower end portion A of the flagstick 1 is inserted)
C Guide part (the part that guides the movable part B vertically up and down)
D Transmission part (the part that is tightly connected to the movable part B and transmits the downward force to the drive unit E)
E Drive unit (the part that converts the downward force into upward force and transmits the force to elevation part F)
F Elevation part (the part that is elevated upon receiving the upward force from the drive unit E)
G Bottom plate part (donut-shaped with an umbrella-shaped inclined surface)
H Elastic body
2 Golf hole cup
3 Guide rail that limits the vertically movable range of the transmission part D
4 Drain hole
20 Inner rack
21 Inner pinion
22 Gear
23 Gear
24 Gear
25 Small gear
26 Outer pinion
27 Outer rack
28 Outer rack guide
29 Bottom plate tight connector
30 Cover box
40 Inner piston
41 Inner hydraulic cylinder
42 Connecting pipe
43 Outer hydraulic cylinder
44 Outer piston
60 Lever
61 Reach extender part
62 Support point (fixed point rod)
50 Around the edge of the golf hole cup (turf)
51 Golf ball
70 wire-like body (first wire-like body)
71 Smaller pulley
72 Connection part
73 wire-like body (second wire-like body)
74 Pulley support
75 Larger pulley
76 Elevation part main body
81 Base
83 Slit
85 Slit
87 Connection part
89 Protrusion portion
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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JP2019-077316 | Apr 2019 | JP | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/JP2020/015289 | 4/3/2020 | WO | 00 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
WO2020/213429 | 10/22/2020 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
1462026 | Waddell | Jan 1922 | A |
1673852 | Underwood | Jun 1928 | A |
3874665 | McCulloch | Apr 1975 | A |
5393053 | Wiese | Feb 1995 | A |
8317633 | Maclean | Nov 2012 | B2 |
8740716 | Mallonee | Jun 2014 | B1 |
10471309 | Kosai | Nov 2019 | B2 |
20180207496 | Zeidan | Jul 2018 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
8-141123 | Jun 1996 | JP |
Entry |
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International Search Opinion for the present PCT-US application No. PCT/JP2020/015289. |
Notice of Reasons for Refusal issued by Japan Patent Office for the priority application (JP2019-077316) of the present PCT-US application No. PCT/JP2020/015289. |
Notice of Allowance issued by Japan Patent Office for the priority application (JP2019-077316) of the present PCT-US application No. PCT/JP2020/015289. |
Australian Examination Report dated Jun. 11, 2021, issued to corresponding Australian Application No. 2020257679. |
Australian Notice of Acceptance dated Aug. 2, 2021, issued to the corresponding Australian Application No. 2020257679. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20210228953 A1 | Jul 2021 | US |