AU603480B2 - Device for picking up articles - Google Patents

Description

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AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE Form Short Title: Int. Cl: Application Number: Lodged: Complete Specification-Lodged: Accepted: Lapsed: Published: 603486) x c' -I C a I-i.,

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4 4* 94 *i 0 44 *i 9 .44 4 44 4 41 41 TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT Name of Applicant: IVAN IVANIC Address of Applicant: 10 Queen Street Moe, Victoria 3825 Australia Actual Inventor: Ivan Ivanic Address for Service: GRIFFITH HACK CO., 601 St. Kilda Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia.

Complete Specification for the invention entitled: DEVICE FOR PICKING UP ARTICLES The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to me:c j -i t«*i^

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I t 414£ t4 4' 4£ DEVICE- FOR. PICKING UiP ARTICLES This invention relates to a device for picking up articles, and in particular to a device for picking up golf balls.

The invention provides a gol.f ball pick-up device for attachment to the handle of a golf club, said device havtng a coupling means including a clip portion for coupling the dovice to -the handle so that -the device can slide relative to the handle and a retainer for receiving the end of the handle and preventing further sliding movement of the device relative to the handle, r4 -3and golf ball engaging means attached to said coupling means for engaging a golf ball to enable -the golf ball to be picked up by the device.

Preferably the golf ball engaging means comprises a pair of arm members which enable the article to be received therebetween to enable the article -to be picked up by the device.

Preferred embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to -the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a device embodying the invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the device of Figure Figure 3 is a side view of a second embodiment It of the invention; Figure 4 is a side v~iew showing the device coupled to a golf club handle; and Figure 5 is a view showing how golf balls are '~20 engaged by the device.

With reference to Figure 1, the device for picking- up articles such as golf balls comprises a coupling portion 10 for coupling the device to a golf club handle and a golf ball engaging portion 12 for engaging a golf ball. The coupling port4.on 10 has a 4,'~,coupling clip 14 which is resilient and which can engage the handle of a golf club to secure the device to the golf club handle. The coupling portion 10 also includes a retainer 16 which receives the end of the gold club to securely and fixedly locate the device on the handle of the golf club. The clip 14 is preferably C-shaped in configuration and is joined to the retaining portion 16 by a web 18. The retaining portion 16 is also of C-shaped configtiration, although the open part of the retainer, 16 is not as large as the opan part of the clip r -4 14 so that a golf club handle cannot slip out of the retainer 16 through the open portion of the C-shaped retainer 16.

The engaging portion 12 preferably comprises a pair of arms 20 which enable a golf ball to be received therebetween so that the golf ball can be picked up by the device.

Figure 3 shows a second embodiment of the invention which is identical to the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2 except that the arms 20 are curved instead of straight.

Figure 4 shows how the device is coupled to a golf club handle. As noted above, the clip 14 engages the handle and the handle is merely slid relative to the clip 14 so that the end A of the handle of the golf club is received in the retainer 16 in abutting relationship to a floor of the retainer 16. Thus, the golf club handle is securely and fixedly coupled to the device and will not move relative to the device until the device is l 20 removed from the handle by sliding the device relative to the handle so that the handle is removed from the retainer 16 and pulling the device away from the handle so that the clip 14 flexes outwardly and disengages from the handle.

*4O 0 j o 25 In order to pick up articles, the device is simply coupled to the handle of a golf club as described above and the golf club is inverted and held by the head of the golf club. The arms 20 are then brought into engagement with a golf ball so that the ball is received between the arms 20 and by lifting the golf club upwardly the device raises the golf balls so that it can be B collected by the golfer. Alternatively, the device can merely flick the golf ball upwardly after it is gripped by the arms 20 so that the golf ball is caught by the golfer.

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5 As shown in Figure 5, the golf ball abuts the end of the retainer 16 when held by the arms 20 so that the golf ball is securely retained in the device while it is being lifted. Generally the angle at which the ,-.lf club is held ensures that the golf ball will remain in the device until it is collected by the golfer. However, in the embodiment of Figure 3 and 4 which have the curved arms 20, the curved nature of the arms tends to cause the golf ball to roll downwardly towards the retainer 16 as soon as the golf ball is lifted by the device to further ensure that the golf ball remains in the device when the device is raised on the end of the golf club handle.

The coupling portion 10 may be formed integral with the engaging portion 12 and the device may be formed from either plastics material or frcm metal. However, in i other embodiments the coupling portion 10 could be made separate from the engaging portion 12 and the two members connected together by clips or any other suitable means.

0°0 In still further embodiments, the retaining portion 16 0 o 20 could be integral with the coupling portion 12 and the web 10 and clip 14 secured to the retaining portion 16 by cl.p- or any other suitable means.

Furthermore, the clip 14 and/or the retaining portion 16 could be reversed to that shown in the drawings so that the clip 14 has its open portion facing to the right in the figures instead of to the left as shown in the figures. Further still, the retaining portion 16 need not include the inclined floor 22 which engages the end of the golf club handle to abut the end of the engaging portion 12 which is within the retaining portion 16.

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Claims (3)

1. 2. The device of Claim 1, where the golf ball engaging means comprises a pair of arm members which engage the article to enable the article to be lifted. to 3. The device of Claim 1 or 2, wherein the clip 0portion is coupled to the retainer by a web and the clip *0 port: nn is a resilient C-shaped clip.
2. 4. The device of Claim 2, wherein the arms are straight. The device of Claim 2, wherein the arms are o ,0 curved.
3. 6. A golf ball pick-up device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 or 3 to 5 of the accompanying drawings. SI, DATED THIS 8th DAY OF June 1990 f tt IVAN IVANIC By His Patent Attorneys GRIFFITH HACK CO. Fellows Institute of Patent Attorneys of Australia J% S_ .7M