Patent Application
20230310957
This invention relates to an attachment to a golf club carrier, e.g., golf bag or golf cart, for holding a golf towel and allowing the user to wet or moisten the towel when it is clamped in the attachment. The invention more specifically concerns a device that can attach to the user's golf bag or cart, and clamps onto a golf towel to hold it until it is needed for cleaning off a golf club, golf ball, or other golf equipment. The invention also concerns devices that combine the features of a clamping mechanism for holding the golf towel, and a mechanism for dispensing water (or an aqueous solution containing detergent or another cleaning agency) from a reservoir. In particular, the invention incorporates the reservoir and dispensing mechanism into the towel clamping mechanism, to provide a simple-to-use mechanism to dispense aqueous fluid onto the towel. The invention also concerns such devices which can be easily and conveniently suspended from or otherwise attached onto the golfer's golf bag or other golf equipment, and which releasably clamps onto the golf towel so that the towel is available for cleaning and wiping a club face or other golf equipment.
Golf equipment washers and club cleaners have been proposed, which incorporate a cleaner and a container for water, so that the water is available for dispensing onto a golf towel. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,330,497). A device in the form of an attachment for a golf bag, which incorporates a clamp for holding a golf towel, a scrubber, and a container for holding and dispensing water or cleaning solution has been proposed. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,64,072) Other cleaning apparatus for golf clubs and other equipment has been proposed in which a special golf towel integrated with a porous mesh and with a mechanism for wetting the golf towel has also been proposed (U.S. Pat. No. 8,171,593). No one has yet proposed or provided a golf towel clamp and mosturizer in the form of a front body that includes a reservoir for water or aqueous cleaning solution, a clamp for holding the towel, and a mechanism for dispensing the aqueous solution onto the towel while held in the clamp.
Accordingly, it is an object to provide a tool that can be mounted on a golf cart, golf bag, or the like, and which incorporates a clamp for releasably holding the golf towel and a squeeze bulb or other simple actuator mechanism for dispensing water (or cleaning solution) from a reservoir incorporated into the clamp.
A more specific object of this invention is to provide a towel holder attachment with a front portion that includes the reservoir, a dispenser mechanism for pushing the aqueous solution out an aperture in a rear side of the front portion, and a back plate that is attached to the front portion that is sufficiently flexible so that bottom jaws on the front portion and the back plate can be spread apart to insert the towel.
Another object is to provide the towel holder and moisturizer attachment so it can be easily filled via an inlet tube or opening that leads to the reservoir in the upper part of the front portion.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a combination golf towel clamp and golf towel moistener is generally formed of a front member and a back plate. The front member includes an upper, somewhat globe-shaped member (or somewhat hemispherical) that is substantially rigid and hollow. This constitutes a reservoir for water with or without a detergent, or for another aqueous fluid. A squeeze bulb member on the hollow globe-shaped upper portion can be depressed for urging the fluid out of the reservoir through a rear opening to moisten the golf towel, i.e. an orifice on a rear side of the front member. A valve mechanism in the hollow upper portion is actuated by the squeeze bulb member for ejecting the fluid from the reservoir through the rear orafice. Below the globe-shaped member, a front jaw member extends downward;
A back plate is generally co-extensive with the back surface of the front member, and has an upper portion affixed onto a back side of the upper portion of the front member, e.g. with threaded fasteners. A rear jaw portion extends down from the upper portion of the rear plate and there is a reduced-thickness flex area between the upper portion and the lower jaw portion. This flex area yieldably urges the rear jaw portion of the back plate against the front jaw member of the front member. These components are configured so as to hold a golf towel between them, but also permit the user to remove the towel when he needs to use it. The front member is configured such that depressing the squeeze bulb member results in a quantity of aqueous liquid being dispensed from the reservoir onto the golf towel when the latter is retained between the front jaw member and the rear, lower jaw portion.
Favorably, the upper portion of said front member (i.e., the reservoir) is formed of a rigid or semi-rigid plastic resin with a generally hemispherical shape. Also, in a favored embodiment, the front jaw member is tapered to a duck-bill shape. The rear opening in the rear side of the front member can take the form of a horizontal groove having one or more penetrations into the reservoir, with the grooved shape aiding in spreading the water over a wide area of the towel.
The flex area of said back plate has a first (reduced) thickness, and the upper portion and rear jaw portions of said back plate each have a thickness greater than the first thickness. This thickness can favorably be a full thickness of the back plate. The rounded or globular upper portion of the front member favorably has a concave and generally spherical, hollow socket region hollow formed where the squeeze bulb member is positioned.
Favorably, a stud member for fitting into a grommet on the golf towel is positioned on one or the other (or both) of the rear jaw portion of the back plate and the front jaw portion of the front member.
A retaining loop or similar member may be formed on the top of the back plate for attaching to a golf club carrier.
In favorable embodiments, the fill port for the reservoir is disposed at a top of the upper front portion of the towel holder and moistener.
Because of the incorporation of both the reservoir and the towel clamp into one unit, the unit can be designed to resemble a golf ball supported on a tee. That is, the upper portion of the front member may be shaped generally as a hemisphere to resemble a golf ball and the lower part of the front member can be configured to resemble a golf tee, which helps identify the device for its purpose. The outer surface of the generally spherical or hemispherical reservoir can have concave recesses to resemble dimples.
Favorably, the front member and the back plate are removably bolted together with screw fasteners through apertures in the back plate into threaded blind holes in a flat back wall of the front member.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of a selected preferred embodiment, which is to be read in connection with the accompanying Drawing:
With reference to the Drawing Figures,
Upper and lower horizontal flex lines 30 and 32 mark edges of a reduced-thickness flex portion to be discussed shortly. In the lower end portion of the back plate, a vertical-axis oval-curved cut-out 34 helps spread the water or other liquid ejected onto the towel when clamped in place. Now turning to
Finally,
While the present invention has been described with reference to specific preferred embodiment(s), it should be understood that the invention is not limited to such precise embodiment(s). Rather, many modifications and variations would present themselves to persons skilled in the art without departure from the scope and spirit of this invention, as defined in the appended claims.
