GB2275658A - Golf trolley. - Google Patents

Abstract

The trolley can either be towed by handle 1 or carried using strap wheeled support assembly 42 located on the underside of the housing 12 does not protrude laterally beyond the width of the housing thus making storage in motor vehicle luggage compartments more convenient. The golf clubs are stored within the housing in a rotatable carrier comprising aligned discs 20 with recesses for the clubs. Shaft 22 is rotatable by handle 30, which has markings to indicate where the various types of clubs have been stored. The clubs are removed through an elongate slot 18 in the housing. Storage facility 54 for spare clothing, wet weather clothing and score cards are incorporated. The enclosed construction of the trolley ensures that the clubs etc are kept dry. <IMAGE>

Description

AN IMPROVED CF BAC ANii TROLLEY The invention pertains to a new improved golf bag and trolley which is primarily intended to be used by a person transporting golf clubs and equipment under rain proof conditions around a golf course and also to and from a golf course, with the minimum weight involved.

Golf is well established as a leading leisure activity played by large numbers of people on courses specifically constructed for that purpose.

Golf courses normally comprise of eighteen "holes" and the approximate distance covered by players in the course of a round is eight kilometres.

The equipment used by a golfer will normally comprise of a set of golf clubs (a full set being fourteen in number), a golf bag to transport the clubs whilst playing and golf balls. A set of golf clubs represent a considerable weight, which necessitates a bag for their transportation.

Know golf bags comprise of an elongated bag made from leather or synthetic plastic and carried by means of a side strap. On the upper side of the bag is an open mouth through which the clubs are passed into the bag. Clubs rest upright in the bag with the club heads protruding from the top of the bag and thus allowing for ease of selection when the player requires to play a shot.

A disadvantage of such golf bags is that because of their open mouth, rain enters the bag in wet weather. This causes the grips of the clubs to become wet and slippy and impairs a players golf shots. Water lying at the bottom of the bag gives rise to deterioration of the grips, normally made from rubber, and because golfers tend not to dry off the clubs after use the shafts of the clubs can be corroded as a result of rusting.

As an alternative to carrying the bag, trolleys are available which permit the towing of the bag. Trolleys give rise to similar problems as described above in wet weather because a trolley supports the bag in an upright position.

There is a further disadvantage of known trolleys which it is considered the present invention obviates. This relates to the fact that known trolleys when they are stowed away attached to the golf bag, the trolley wheels protrude to either side of the bag. The combined trolley and bag are hench bulky and problems are encountered in fitting them into the luggage compartments of motor vehicles. This problem is augmented when a number of bags and trolleys are being stowed in the one vehicle. It therefore becomes necessary to detach the bag from the trolley for storage purposes.

The object of the invention is to surmount the disadvantages outlined.

The present invention provides a receptacle for golf clubs comprising an enclosed, elongate housing, a golf club holding means rotatably mounted within the housing about the longitudinal axis thereof, and means mounted externally of said housing which communicates with the holding means to enable the holding means to be rotated within the housing in order to allow a golf club to be placed in, or removed from the receptacle via an opening in the housing.

In relation to the durability and wearing capacity of known golf bags, vulnerable areas are the zippers, the present invention lessens this area of vulnerability by reducing the necessity for zippers.

The golf club holding means may comprise two complimentary discs mounted respectively at opposite ends of a shaft journalled between two opposing end faces of the housing; with recesses made in each disc, capable of receiving the shaft of a golf club. The recesses may be shaped so as to allow the shaft of the club to snap fit into place.

The device for operating rotation of the club holding means may comprise of a handle fixed to an end of the shaft of the holding means which protrudes through an end face of the housing.

The housing may be substantially cylindrical in shape. The opening in the housing may be elongate and may be located in the side of the housing.

For purposes of towing a handle is fixed to - of the housing and underneath the housing a wheeled support assembly is affixed. The latter supports the housing whilst the container is being towed. A feature of the wheeled support assembly is that the wheels do not protrude laterally on either side of the base of the housing.

The features of the present invention will be more readily understood from the following description, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure 1 is a side view of a receptacle for clubs according to the invention with a towing handle shown in an extended position and alternatively in a retracted position and a golf club holding means shown in broken outline; Figure 2 is a front view of the receptacle of figure 1 with the towing handle shown in the retracted position and the golf club holding means diagrammatically represented in broken outline; Figure 3 is an above sectional view of the receptacle of figure 1 through obtuse section AA thereof; and Figure 4 is an above diagrammatic view of the receptacle of figure 1 showing a number of alternative golf clubs (in broken outline) held within the golf club holding means.

The present invention provides a combined bag and trolley which can be used by a person playing golf to transport their golf clubs around a golf course, under rain proof conditions, whilst giving easy access to the stored clubs.

Whilst it is envisaged that this is the intended use of the invention, it is recognised that it could be provided as a substitute for known golf bags to be utilised under any, or all, weather conditions.

The means by which the aforementioned aims are achieved are hereinafter described.

Referring to the drawings, there is provided a receptacle 10 for golf clubs comprising a substantially enclosed elongate housing 12, a golf club holding means 14 rotatably mounted within the housing 12 and means 16 mounted externally of the housing 12 which communicates with the holding means 14 to enable it to be rotated within the housing 12 in order to provide access to golf clubs held in the holding means 14 via an opening 18 in a side of the housing 12.

The housing 12 is preferably cylindrical in longitudinal cross section and is formed from any suitable rigid or semi-rigid material, for example, metal or plastics. Alternatively, the housing 12 may be formed from leather and/or synthetic materials which may be supported upon and affixed around a suitable rigid framework (not shown). Whilst scientific testing is ongoing it is viewed that the weight of the receptacle is significantly less than that of known golf bags.

The holding means 14 comprises two complementary discs 20 mounted respectively towards oppositely extending ends of a shaft 22.

Each of the discs 20 has an equal number of recesses S formed in the periphery thereof. The discs are spaced apart on the shaft 22 with the recesses 26 on one disc being longitudinally aligned with respective recesses 26 on the other disc 20. There may be more than two discs 20 spaced apart on the shaft 22 in a similar manner.

Each recess 26 is shaped such that the shaft of a golf club can be snap fitted thereinto and thereby spaced apart discs 20 offer a means by which a golf club can be held within the receptacle 10 substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis thereof. Figure 1 shows a club 28 (in broken outline) which is supported in a generally upright position within the receptacle 10 between the discs 20. Additional recesses 26 may also be provided in the peripheries for the discs 20 to enable articles such as umbrellas, for example, to be store in the receptacle 10.

The number of clubs which may be stored within the receptacle 10 depends on the number of recesses 26 provided in the peripheries of each of the discs 20. In the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, the number of recesses 26 in each disc 20 totals 14, (this figure-represents the maximum number of clubs a golfer may carry in competition). This is merely representative of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

The shaft 22 may be journalled between opposing end faces 12a,b of the housing 12 (not shown) such that its axis of rotation is coincident with the longitudinal axis of the housing 12. Alternatively, the shaft 22 may be journalled between support members 24 (figure 1) secured within the housing adjacent the opposing end faces 12a,b of the housing 12 respectively. In this case, the axis of rotation of the shaft 22 is also arranged to lie coincident with the longitudinal axis of the housing 12.

The holding means 14 is able to be rotated within the housing 12 by means 16 mounted externally of the housing. In the preferred embodiment as shown in the accompanying drawings, the means 16 for rotating the holding means 14 comprises a handle 30 affixed to an end 20a of the shaft protruding through the upper end face 1 2a of the housing 12. The handle 30 is circular in plan and is mounted axially upon the protruding shaft end 20a. The handle 30 allows the holding means 14 to be rotated within the housing 12 and the handle may have markings arranged around the periphery thereof which correspond to a predetermined club holding position on the holding means 14 thereby allowing a player using the receptacle 10 to quickly identify where a particular club is held in the holding means 14.

The markings on the handle 30 may also be arranged to cooperate with a marking on the upper end face 20a of the housing 12 which indicates the relative position in a side of the housing 12 of the opening 18 through which clubs can be passed for storing in the holding means 14 or for removing from the holding means 14 for use. The opening 18 is elongate and of sufficient depth to allow clubs to be easily passed therethrough. The longitudinal axis of the opening 18 is parallel with the longitudinal axis of the housing 12.

A closure member 32 in the form of a plate 34 extending between corresponding webs 36 on the discs 20 is provided to close over the opening 18. The plate 34 is mounted upon the webs 36 such that it extends outwardly from the centre of the holding means 14 and almost makes contact with the side of the housing 12. The width and depth of the plate are such that when it is aligned with the opening it completely closes the opening thereby denying access to the receptacle 10 and maintaining the interior of the receptacle in rain proof condition.

In accordance with the proceeding description, it can be seen that the receptacle 10 affords a means of storing golf clubs under rain proof condition. In wet weather, the clubs will be maintained in dry condition until they are removed from the receptacle 10 for use. However, a player can maintain his clubs in a substantially dry condition if, after using, he takes the precaution of wiping the clubs dry before placing them back in the receptacle.

A storage bag 54 is provided which can be used to store wet weather clothing, additional clothing and score cards for example, such a bag is mounted around a top portion of the housing 12.

For carrying purposes the receptacle 10 is provided with a shoulder strap 38 affixed to one side. However. as an alternative means of conveying the receptacle 10, the receptacle has a towing handle

thereof and a wheeled support assembly 42 located within a recessed portion 44 of the housing 12 adjacent the bottom end face 20b.

The wheeled support assembly 42 may comprise a roller 46 axially mounted between two flanges 48 which extend tangentially from opposing sides of the recessed portion 44 (figures 1 and 2). Alternatively, the wheeled support assembly 42 comprises separate wheels rotatably mounted on either flange 48.

The important feature of the wheeled support assembly 42 is that the ends of the roller 46 (or wheels) do not extend laterally beyond the periphery of the base of the housing 12.

Such an arrangement offers the advantage that the receptacle 10 can be easily towed and yet the wheeled support assembly 42 does not hinder storage of the receptacle 10 in the luggage compartment of a vehicle, for example.

A further feature of the wheeled support assembly 42 is that when the receptacle 10 is placed in an uright position, it stands free of the wheeled support assembly 42 upon the bottom end face thereof. The receptacle 10 must be tilted forward to engage the wheeled support assembly 42 and allow the receptacle 10 to be towed.

The wheeled support assembly 42 may also be provided with a scraping means 52 (figure 1) mounted within the recessed portion 44 which are arranged to engage with the roller 46 (or wheels). The purpose of this scraping device is to remove dirt or grass which may stick to the roller 46 whilst it is being towed.

The towing handle is pivotally affixed to the

of the housing 12 and is supported in an extended towing position . When not in use the towing handle , can be collansed to a retracted nosition

the housing 12 and therefore this facilitates easy storage of the receptacle 10 as previously mentioned.

The towing handle may be shaped such that spare golf balls can be stored therewithin The upper end face 12a of the housing 12 may be removable to enable the interior of the receptacle 10 to be cleaned.

Claims (6)

1. A combined golf bag and trolley affording a means whereby golf clubs can be stored whilst playing under rain proof conditions. In wet weather conditions the clubs can be maintained in dry conditions until removed for use. Clubs can continue to be maintained in a substantially dry condition, if, after use the player drys the clubs before replacing in the receptacle.

2. A combined golf bag and trolley as claimed is Claim 1 giving a means of easy access for taking clubs out of the receptacle and replacing them.

Clubs may be securely fixed in place by a snap fit means. By virtue of a rotating means embodied in the holding means and numbered on the periphery the desired club may be easily selected.

3. A combined golf bag and trolley as claimed in Claims 1 and 2 whereby means are provided for towing the receptacle whilst playing golf and a shoulder strap for lifting and carrying the receptacle when required.

The bag and trolley are free standing whilst in the upright-position.

The weight of the receptacle is viewed as being significantly less than that of known golf bags.

4. A combined golf bag and trolley as claimed in Claims 1,2, and 3 which because of its reduced width (compared to known trolleys, which when attached to known golf bags the wheels protrude laterally) permits easy fitting into the luggage compartment of motor vehicles.

5. A combined golf bag and trolley as claimed in Claim 1,2,3 and 4 wherein storage facility is provided for storing wet weather clothing, additional clothing and score cards.

6. A combined golf bag and trolley substantially as described herein with reference to figures 1 -30 of the accompanying drawings.