US1436222A - Golf tee - Google Patents

Description

W. L'WALKEII.

GOLF TEE. APPLICATION FILED IAN. 2; Iszo.

Patented Nov. 211, 19.22

Patented Nov. 2l, 1922.

NETE@ STATES Parent @tanica GOLFI TEE.

Application filed January 2, 1920. Serial No. 348,919.

To 171 whom z'z may concern.'

Be it known that I, IVILLIAM L. IVALKER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of New York. in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Golf Tees, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to golf tees, particularly to resilient, portable tees designed to replace sand or other forms of tees commonly used for elevating the golf ball above the surface of the ground.

Portable tees in general use have often been either too bulky or of inconvenient form not well adapted for carrying, while some portable tees are designed to be cast aside after use, which necessitates carrying a suicient supply for each game.

The golf tee embodied in the present invention is designed to be constructed of inexpensive material, may be made of any height, is compact being easily compressible and. therefore. may be readily carried in the pocket or golf club bag.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a golf tee made preferably of resilient wire formed in a spiral or frustoconical shaped coil and having a seat for the golf ball. thereby providing a resilient t'ee adapted to be readily compressed for carrying, and adapted further to offer on account of its resiliency, when struck, no effective resistance to the club, and consequently the tee will yield and return to its normal position.

Another objectis to provide a relatively long'. movable anchoring pin adapted to be inserted in the ground and thereby anchor the tee securely in position, which constitutes an important feature of the invention.

Another object is to provide an anchoring pin that is freely movable in any direction, .so that its angle may be varied, and it may be inserted in the ground at the angle best suited to securely anchor the tee, whether the ground is soft or hard.

Another obj ect is to attach the anchoring pin to the tee in such a manner that it may be so inserted inkthe ground that the cooperating loops of the tee and anchoring pin act as a pivot, and consequent-ly when a poor drive is made and the tee is struck with a club, the blow will generally cause the tee either to turn over on the loops in the line of the drive or to merely vibrate. Thus I have provided means having all the essential features combined eHectively to produce the desired results.

Thile added advantages may be afforded by employing a spiral spring to form the body of the tee, I may employ, with certain advantages, a body, preferably frusto-conical in form, of resilient rubber or other suitable material.

In order that the nature of my invention may be clearly understood, I have illustrated certain embodiments in the accompanying drawings, in which,-

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of my invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of another embodiment of the invention by which the ball may be elevated higher than in the form shown in Fig. 1; y

Figure 3 is a side elevation of still another embodiment showing a form having a wide ball seat;

Figure 4 is a side view of a tee similar to that shown in Fig. 1 when compressed for carrying;

Figure 5 is a plan view of Figure 4; and

Figure 6 is a side elevation of still another embodiment showing va tee made o"A resilient rubber or other suitable material.

The particular embodiment of my invention illustrated in Fig. 1 comprises a spiral, frusto-conical shaped coil of Wire 1, preferably resilient, having its convolutions extending upwardly from its base 2 in a. continually diminishing curvature toward the center. The upper convolution constitutes a ball seat 3 which is in a horizontal plane parallel to the base 2. The lower convolution 2 has its end formed into a loop 5 extending laterall)1 in substantially the same longitudinal plane as the lower convolution or base 2 and having a relatively long movable anchoring pin 6 attached to the tee by a loop 7 the anchoring pin 6 being adapted tobe inserted in the ground so as to securely anchor the tee in position. The pin 6 being freely movable in any direction can readily be inserted inthe ground, straight down or at any angle desired or kthat may be necessary, in order to properly anchor the tee. This is an important feature of the invention, since unless the tee is securely anchored to the ground, in case of a tially the same as that shown in Fig. 1 with.

the exception that the spiral coil of wire 8 has an upwardly extending -p ortion 9 of convolutions of the same circumference terminating in a ball seat 10, similar to that vin the form shown in Fig. 1. This tee is likewise provided with a lower convolution orbase l1 having a loop 12 coacting with a loop 13 of a movable pin 14. This form of tee may be used to give greater elasticity to the tee than the form shown in Fig. 1.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 3 the tee comprises a spiral coil 15 having a lower convolution or base 16 provided with a loop 17, and a movable pin 19 attached to the lower convolution by a loop 18. vAbove the spiral coil 15 is an outwardly flaring portion 20 of convolutions gradually increasing in circumference, the upper convolution 21 forming a ball seat. In this form the tee has greater elasticity and the ball B is permitted to rest more deeply in the ball seat than inthe forms shown in Figs. 1 and 2. As shown in 'Figs 4 and 5, on the end of the lower convolution 2 is the loop 4 under'and behind which the free end of the anchoring pin 6 is adapted to be inserted,

when the coil 1 is compressed and thus held in a flat position for carrying. By employing the arrangement of parts shown, the coil 1 is heldin a compact and readily portable form, while by merely releasing the anchoring pin 6 from engagement with the loop 4 the coil 1 expands into operative position and the tee is ready for use.

The species of the' present invention shown in Fig. 6 comprises a frusto-conical shaped body 22 made preferably of resilient material such as moulded rubber, etc., having a base 23 provided with an opening 24, in which is inserted the loop 25 of a movable pin V26 while the upper edge 27 constitutes a ball seat, which may be made wide or narrow as may be desired.

original shape after deformation by a blow, and an anchoring pin pivotally attached to said device adjacent to its lower end.

3. A golf tee comprising a spiral, frustoconical shaped coil of resilient wire,/and an anchoring pin pivotally attached to the lower convolution thereof so as to be disposedat various angles with relation to the said tee.

4. A golf tee comprising a spiral, frustoconical shaped coil of resilient wire, the upper convolution of the said coil forming a ballv seat, the lower convolution forming the base of the tee, and an anchoring pin movably attached to the said lower convolution.

5,. A golf tee comprisinga spiral, frustoconical shaped coil of resilient wire, the

upper convolution of the saidy coil forming` a ball seat, the lower convolution forming the base of the tee, a loop on the end of the said lower convolution, and an anchoring pin provided with a loop on its upper end connected with the lower convo-lution, the free end of the anchoring pin being adapted to cooperate with the loop on the lower convolution to retain the tee in compressed condition.

6. A golf tee comprising a spiral coil of wire, a pin pivoted on the coil of wire and adapted to cooperate with a loop on the coil to hold the coil in a flattened condition.

7. AV golf tee comprising a spiral, frustoconical coil of resilient wire, a pin pivotally attached to the lower convolution, a loop on the end of the lower convolution, the pin being adapted to cooperate with the loop to retain the coil in a flattened condition.

Signed by me at New York, New York, this 13 day of December, 1919.

WILLIAM L. WALKER.

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