Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B57/00—Golfing accessories
  • A63B57/0006—Automatic teeing devices

Definitions

• bullet dispensers comprising a bullet storage tank, means for selecting a single bullet and means for bringing the selected bullet into the shooting zone.
• US-A-3 599 983 and US-A-1 940 321 disclose bale distributors comprising a storage box with an opening, means allowing only one ball to pass through this opening, and an articulated arm nearby of the opening and forming a distribution gutter.
• the downstream end of this gutter has at its bottom an opening for the distribution of the bale, while its upstream end is associated with spring-loaded means and is provided with a spoon for gripping a bale.
• the first device can be used at a fixed station and has the drawbacks already indicated.
• the second device can be moved but has a lack of stability, a low storage capacity and allows its owner to hold with him a certain number of practice balls. This is a major drawback because the use of the practice being collective and taking place with balls belonging to the installation, any borrowing of balls with any device, results in a reduction of the available stock, and leads, by replacing borrowed bullets, increasing operating costs.
• the invention aims to remedy these drawbacks by providing a portable dispenser, light, compact, inexpensive, easy to implement, simple to operate, and ensuring the precise positioning of the bale, while being easily adjustable in function of the length of the shot to provide an automatic distribution that does not distract the player and allows him to maintain his position.
• the storage means consist of a prismatic box which, near its ends, respectively upstream and downstream, means of support on the ground and on a support, giving its bottom a longitudinal inclination in direction of its downstream end, forms a box, open upwards and at its downstream end, and has longitudinal walls having a height less than that of a ball and extending downstream beyond its bottom to serve at the articulation of the arm, while this arm, forming a cover and capable of being folded against the housing, is composed on the one hand, of the gutter, arranged in the extension of the outlet opening, delimited in the housing by a transverse internal wall, and, on the other hand, and next to this gutter, a wall whose free downstream edge constitutes a control pallet by a club of the tilting of the arm towards its ball distribution position the, and club positioning guide.
• this distributor When this distributor is placed in position, close to the firing zone, and is adjusted so that, when its gutter is in the distribution position, the distribution opening formed at the free end of this gutter coincides with the position what should the ball occupy,
• the distributor is put into service by depositing at least ten bales in its casing. Prior to each shot, the player then only has to tilt the gutter forming the arm to bring it from its substantially vertical position to the dispensing position. This movement is carried out by means of the club, which avoids the player having to stoop. During this pivoting, the spoon-shaped part of the gutter picks up a ball in the storage box, and allows this ball to descend by gravity to the dispensing opening.
• the dimensions of the housing allow it to accommodate a certain number of balls, generally between 17 and 18, but do not allow it to be closed by means of the cover formed by the arm as long as it contains a ball, which prevents it from being used to take balls out of the driving range.
• downstream support means on the ground cooperate with wedging wells protruding vertically from one end of a positioning plate relative to the Practice mat, this plate comprising, at its other end fitting under the mat, pins projecting upwards.
• This flexible and deformable structure replaces the tee for players training directly on the lawn.
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the dispenser when it is in the use and dispensing position
• FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the dispenser showing it when it is in the transport position
• FIGS. 3 and 4 are partial views in longitudinal section of the dispenser showing it when it is respectively in the dispensing position and in the waiting position,
• Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view along V-V of Figure 3.
• Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the distributor when it cooperates with a positioning plate
• Figure 7 is a perspective view of a positioning structure of the ball on the grass cooperating with the distributor.
• this distributor is composed of a prismatic housing designated by the reference 2, of an arm 3 articulated around a transverse axis materialized by pivots 4, on the housing 2 and of support means, comprising a base downstream 5 and a hook 6 upstream.
• the housing 2 which, in the embodiment shown, is composed of two telescopic elements, has the general shape of a parallelepipedic housing, open upwards and, longitudinally, at its anterior end. At this end, and as shown in more detail in FIGS. 3 and 4, its bottom 7 has a cutout 8 to allow free rotation of the corresponding end of the arm 3. Near this cutout 8, the housing 2 comprises, as shown in Figure 1, an inner wall 9, inclined transversely and directing the balls 12 to an outlet opening 10.
• the longitudinal walls 1 1 of the housing have a height less than that of a ball 12 and are separated by a distance greater than that of a ball, to form a receptacle that can accommodate two rows of balls, and, for example, around 18 balls.
• the arm 3 which is articulated around the pivots 4 on the side walls of the housing 2, forms a cover which can be folded down on the housing. It comprises, in the extension of the outlet opening 10, a gutter 13 for guiding the balls 12. At its free end and downstream relative to the housing, this gutter 13 is closed longitudinally by a half ring 14 delimiting an opening 15 coinciding with an opening in the bottom.
• the opening 15 has a diameter slightly larger than that of a bullet 12, so as to allow this bullet to pass through it freely.
• the gutter 13 is shaped into a spoon 16 by means of the transverse wall 17 of the arm 3, a wall which is in an arc of a circle, of center coinciding with the pivot 4 of the arm on the housing 2.
• the free edge of the spoon 16 is an extension of the bottom 7 of the housing 2 and extends under the ball 12 pending.
• the articulation of the arm 3 relative to the housing 2 is associated with return means capable of bringing the arm back from its dispensing position shown in strong lines in FIG. 1, to its waiting and closing position of the passage. outlet, shown in phantom in the same figure.
• the return means consist of a torsion spring 20, disposed around one of the pivots 4 and one of the ends of which is hooked to the housing 2, while the other end is hooked to arm 3.
• This articulation is also associated with wedging means in position of the arm 3 in the waiting position, means which, in this embodiment, consist of an eclipsable finger 22, arranged in the path of the arm 3 and the body 23 is fixed to the housing 2, near the pivot 4.
• the support means of the housing 2 are constituted by a downstream base 5 articulated around the base pivot 24 on the housing 2 and by a hook 6 projecting from the upstream part of the housing 2, that is to say from the part which is opposite to the arm 3.
• This hook is intended to cooperate with the upper edge or with the meshes of a bucket 26, generally used to supply the balls to the players.
• hook 6 can be replaced by a base of the same type as that 5, but higher, so that, in the position of use and as shown in Figure 1, the entire housing is inclined at least longitudinally, going down from the upstream part of the housing to its downstream part.
• the downstream base 5 is lower on the side of this opening 10 than on the other side, in order to give the housing a transverse inclination.
• the half-ring 14, formed at the end of the gutter 13 comes, when the arm 3 is in the distribution position, to surround a tee 25 or the area on which the ball is to be placed.
• the player Before practicing and taking up his shooting position, the player must first take from the container 26 at least ten balls 12 which he pours into the box 2. From there, for each shot, the player only has to cause the pivoting of the arm 3 while in the waiting and closing position shown in phantom in Figure 1, with the help of his club.
• the arm 3 is provided, next to the gutter, with a wall 21, the free bottom of which has a notch 21 a to constitute a means for hooking the club.
• the pivoting of the arm 3 in the direction of the arrow 27 allows the spoon 16 to pick up the first waiting ball 12, by inserting itself between this ball and the next ball.
• the arm 3 is held in the dispensing position by the weight of this ball 12, a position which it retains until the ball, reaching its downstream end, escapes by the opening 15 and comes to bear on the tee 25.
• the arm 3, released from the weight of the ball is returned by the torsion spring 20 to its waiting position, delimited by the eclipsable finger 22. This pivoting allows the spoon 16 to be inserted under the next ball, thus preparing its next grip.
• the bottom of the gutter has, in its central part, and on the part close to its pivot 4, a rib 28 allowing the ball to roll directly on it and quickly acquire at high speed.
• This outgrowth is interrupted before the ball reaches the opening 15, so that the ball comes into contact with the edges of the gutter 13 and that, then rolling on a circle of small diameter, it slows down its speed by improving the positioning accuracy.
• This distributor also ensures, by contact of the club against the wall 21, but also against the upstream edge of the gutter, the positioning of this club during the lowering operation of the arm. As a result, at the end of the distribution of a ball, not only has the player been able to keep his positioning marks but also, his club is himself positioned for the next shot, just behind the ball.
• the dispenser can easily be moved transversely to suit the needs of the player and, for example, to allow long or short shots requiring ball positioning in front or behind the usual average position.
• the housing 2 After use, and as shown in Figure 2, the housing 2 is shortened, by telescoping its two elements, and the arm 3 is folded against the housing and locked in this position.
• the entire distributor then constitutes a space-saving assembly that can be easily placed in a pocket.
• the articulated arm 3 is also telescopic, so as to further clear the area when it is in the substantially vertical position of waiting and closing the outlet opening.
• Figure 6 shows that to facilitate the positioning of the dispenser relative to a rubber mat 30 disposed on a driving range, its base 5 cooperates with wedging wells 32 formed at one end of a plate 33 made of rigid material and for example in synthetic material.
• the other end of the plate is provided with pins 34 projecting upwards and being inserted under the carpet 30 after the end in question of the plate 33 has been placed below.
• Figure 7 shows an accessory allowing the ball dispenser to be used on a grass driving range, therefore not having a reference surface like concrete driving ranges.
• This accessory is composed of a positioning fork 35, and of a transverse arm 36.
• the fork 35 is made of rigid material and comprises, projecting from either side of its core, namely downwards, feet 37 pluggable into the ground and, upwards, two wedging wells 38 of the base 5 of the distributor.
• the arm 36 is made of an elastically deformable material such as rubber or elastomer. It comprises, on the side of the fork, a plate 39 provided with perforations 41 which can be crossed by the feet 37 and, on the other side, an open ring 40 for positioning a ball, this ring having an external diameter less than that of a bullet.
• the arm 36 is placed on the lawn and is fixed by the fork 35 inserted in the ground, while the base 5 of the distributor is wedged in the wells 38.

Landscapes

• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Physical Education & Sports Medicine (AREA)
• Pinball Game Machines (AREA)
• Scissors And Nippers (AREA)
• Filling Or Emptying Of Bunkers, Hoppers, And Tanks (AREA)
• Casting Or Compression Moulding Of Plastics Or The Like (AREA)
• Display Devices Of Pinball Game Machines (AREA)
• Catching Or Destruction (AREA)
• Footwear And Its Accessory, Manufacturing Method And Apparatuses (AREA)
• Feeding Of Articles To Conveyors (AREA)
• Automatic Assembly (AREA)
• Packaging Of Annular Or Rod-Shaped Articles, Wearing Apparel, Cassettes, Or The Like (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=9435064

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (10)

Families Citing this family (12)

Family Cites Families (8)

• 1992
  • 1992-10-26 FR FR9213071A patent/FR2697166B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 1993
  • 1993-10-26 JP JP6510766A patent/JPH08504620A/ja active Pending
  • 1993-10-26 WO PCT/FR1993/001047 patent/WO1994009867A1/fr active IP Right Grant
  • 1993-10-26 ES ES93924643T patent/ES2102076T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1993-10-26 EP EP93924643A patent/EP0665762B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1993-10-26 US US08/424,396 patent/US5582325A/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1993-10-26 AT AT93924643T patent/ATE150329T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1993-10-26 DE DE69309089T patent/DE69309089D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1993-10-26 CA CA002147832A patent/CA2147832A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1993-10-26 AU AU54236/94A patent/AU5423694A/en not_active Abandoned

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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