GB2286536A - Golf club cleaning apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A golf club cleaning apparatus(s) provides a vertically disposed substantially cylindrical brush (85), motive means (65, 70, 75) for driving said brush, a fluid reservoir (100), and means for directing a cleaning liquid from said reservoir to said brush, characterised in that there is provided switch means for switchably driving said brush in either rotary direction around its longitudinal axis, such that, in use an operator can select the direction of rotation of said brush depending upon whether a left or right handed club is to be cleaned and thereafter clean said club by holding the club head against the brush. Axial oscillating movement may also be provided. <IMAGE>

Description

Golf Club Cleaning Apparatus This invention relates to golf club cleaning apparatus.

During a round of golf grooves in the face of the head of a club may become clogged up with foreign matter such as, for example, mud, grass or sand. It is, however, important to keep the golf club face clean since the presence of such matter may reduce a golfers control of the golf ball.

Golf club cleaning apparatus have been previously proposed. In GB 2 215 619 A (O'Donnell) there is disclosed a golf club cleaning apparatus comprising a closeable housing 11 having means for supporting a plurality of golf clubs. A disadvantage of this apparatus is that the clubs contained therein cannot be inspected during cleaning. Only after the cleaning cycle has finished can the clubs be inspected, and if one or more clubs are not properly cleaned, then the cleaning cycle must be repeated for such clubs.

US 4 472 851 (Kinsey) discloses a device for cleaning a single golf club comprising a rotatable brush and cleaning nozzles for directing jets of cleaning fluid, wherein the brush is driven by a turbine which is powered by the same water supply which provides the cleaning fluid. A disadvantage of this device is that since the brush is driven by the water supply, the device is wasteful of water. Further, such a device, is made either for right-handed or left-handed clubs, but cannot be used for both.

EP 0 363 572 A2 (Club Mate Products) discloses a portable golf club head cleaner apparatus comprising a body having a location for receiving a golf club head, a reservoir for holding a liquid, a brush and pumping means for pumping liquid from the reservoir onto the brush upon operation of manually operable means. A disadvantage of this apparatus is that a user cannot easily inspect cleaning progress of the club head, during use, without removing the club from the apparatus and reinserting again if required.

It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate the aforementioned disadvantages in the prior art hereinbefore referred to.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a golf club cleaning apparatus which facilitates observation of cleaning progression by a user.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a golf club cleaning apparatus which facilitates cleaning of either right-handed or left-handed golf clubs.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a golf club cleaning apparatus providing a vertically disposed substantially cylindrical brush, motive means for driving said brush, a fluid reservoir, and means for directing a cleaning liquid from said reservoir to said brush, characterised in that there is provided switch means for switchably driving said brush in either rotary direction around its longitudinal axis, such that, in use an operator can select the direction of rotation of said brush depending upon whether a left or right handed club is to be cleaned and thereafter clean said club by holding the club head against the brush.

The apparatus may also comprise further motive means for moving of said brush in an oscillatory motion substantially along the longitudinal axis of the brush.

The further motive means may be suitably controlled by further switch means.

The means for directing the cleaning liquid to said brush may comprise a pump for pumping said liquid out of said reservoir into a first end of a hose, through said hose, and out of a second end of said hose, the second end of said hose having a nozzle or spray member provided thereat.

The apparatus may further provide means for hanging one or more golf clubs.

The apparatus may provide coin/token operating means for controlling said motive means and/or said means for directing said cleaning liquid.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of cleaning a golf club comprising employing an apparatus according to the first aspect.

According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a golf club cleaning apparatus providing a brush, motive means for driving said brush, a fluid reservoir, and means for directing a cleaning liquid from said reservoir to said brush, characterised in that there is provided switch means for switchably driving said brush in an oscillatory motion along it's longintudinal axis, such that, in use, an operator can hold the clubhead against the brush.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of cleaning a golf club comprising employing an apparatus according to the third aspect.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings which are: Fig 1 a sectional side elevation of a golf club cleaning apparatus according to the present invention; Fig 2 a plan elevation of the apparatus of Fig 1; and Fig 3 a front elevation of the apparatus of Fig 1.

Referring to the drawings, there is illustrated a golf club cleaning apparatus according to the present invention, generally designated 5 comprising a substantially rectilinear cabinet 10 having front and back walls 15, 20, sidewalls 25, 30, and top and bottom walls 35, 40. The back, side and bottom walls 20, 25, 30, 40 are planar solid walls.

The top wall 35 and front wall 15, however, have respective intersecting open portions 45, 50 allowing access inside the cabinet 10.

Extending vertically down from a periphery of the open portion 45 of the top wall 35 is a first inner wall 55, which wall 55 is connected to or integral with a second inner wall 60 which extends inwardly from below a periphery of the front wall 15. The second inner wall 60 extends inwardly at a shallow rising angle.

Between the second inner wall 60 and bottom wall 40 there is provided motive means in the form of a motor 65.

The motor 65 is connected to and capable of driving gearing 70 and a drive shaft 75. The drive shaft 75 extends through an aperture 80 in the second inner wall 60 and a substantially cylindrical brush 85 is disposed substantially vertically on an uppermost end of the shaft 75, so that the brush 80 moves with the shaft 75.

As can best be seen from Fig 1, the aperture 80 is formed on a raised portion 90 of the second inner wall 60. This mitigates the likelihood of liquid on the second inner wall 60 draining through the aperture 80.

Sealing means 95 may also be provided between the brush 80 and raised portion 90 for this purpose.

Also provided between the second inner wall 60 and bottom wall 40 is a fluid reservoir 100. Inside the reservoir is a pump 105 for pumping fluid from the reservoir through a hose 110, which hose 110 extends and is suitably retained above the second inner wall 60 such that an outlet end 115 of the hose 60 faces the brush 80.

A spray member or nozzle 120 may be provided on the outlet end 115 of the hose 60.

Within the fluid reservoir 100 ther are also provided upper and lower water level detectors 121, 122 which detectors are connected to alarm circuitry or the like (not shown) providing indicator means such as buzzers/bells/lights which are activated in response to the upper/lower detector 121/122 detecting a high/low water level.

On the second inner wall 60 near to the front wall 15 there is provided an elongate drainage channel 125 having one or more filters 130 extending therethrough and into the reservoir 100.

Access to the reservoir 100, pump 105, hose 110 and detectors 121, 122 may be provided by means of a door 140 on the front wall 15. Further access to the motor 65, gearing 70 and shaft 75 may be facilitated by making provision for the removal of the back 20 of the cabinet 10 By this arrangement, it can be seen that fluid can be pumped from the reservoir 100 by means of the pump 105 through the hose 110 onto the brush 80. From there the fluid drains onto the second inner wall 60 into the drainage channel 120 and back into the reservoir 100 via the filter(s) 125.

The motor 65 and pump 105 are, in this embodiment, electrically powered and controlled by control means 130 in the form of a coin/token operated switch. The control means 130 also provides a switch 135 whereby the motion of the brush 80 may be controlled by suitable control of the motor 65 and gearing 70. For example, the brush 80 may be switchably selected to rotate in either rotary direction around its longitudinal axis. This allows for use of the apparatus 5 for cleaning of left or right hand golf clubs. The brush 80 may also be switchably selected via switch 135 to oscillate along its longitudinal axis alone, or in combination with the rotational movement around its longitudinal axis. Such longitudinal oscillation adds to the scrubbing action, in use.

The apparatus 5 may be conveniently located, for example, in a locker room of a club house. When a golfer wishes to clean his/her clubs, he/she may hang such clubs 140 on any of a plurality of hangers 145 provided on a periphery of the top wall 35 adjacent the open portion 45. The golfer may then insert a coin/token into the control means 130, select the motion of the brush 80 via switch 135 and begin cleaning the club(s) by placing the face of said club(s) against the brush 80.

The embodiment of the invention hereinbefore described is given by way of example only, and is not means to limit the scope of the invention in any way.

Claims (11)

1. A golf club cleaning apparatus providing a vertically disposed substantially cylindrical brush, motive means for driving said brush, a fluid reservoir, and means for directing a cleaning liquid from said reservoir to said brush, characterised in that there is provided switch means for switchably driving said brush in either rotary direction around its longitudinal axis, such that, in use, an operator can select the direction of rotation of said brush depending upon whether a left or right handed club is to be cleaned and thereafter clean said club by holding the club head against the brush.

2. A golf club cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the apparatus further provides motive means for moving of said brush in an oscillatory motion substantially along the longitudinal axis of the brush.

3. A golf club cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the further motive means is suitably controlled by further switch means.

4. A golf club cleaning apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the means for directing the cleaning liquid to said brush comprises a pump for pumping said liquid out of said reservoir into a first end of a hose, through said hose, and out of a second end of said hose, the second end of said hose having a nozzle or spray member provided thereat.

5. A golf club cleaning apparatus as defined in any preceding claim, wherein the apparatus further provides means for hanging one or more golf clubs.

6. A golf club cleaning apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the apparatus provides coin/token operating means for controlling said motive means and/or said means for directing said cleaning liquid.

7. A method of cleaning a golf club comprising employing a golf club cleaning apparatus according to any of Claims 1 to 6.

8. A golf club cleaning apparatus providing a brush, motive means for driving said brush, a fluid reservoir, and means for directing a cleaning liquid from said reservoir to said brush, characterised in that there is provided switch means for switchably driving said brush in an oscillatory motion along it's longintudinal axis, such that, in use, an operator can hold the clubhead against the brush.

9. A method of cleaning a golf club comprising employing a golf club cleaning apparatus according to Claim 8.

10. A golf club cleaning apparatus as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs 1 to 3.

11. A method of cleaning a golf club as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs 1 to 3.