US20070068829A1

US20070068829A1 - Golf stand bag

Info

Publication number: US20070068829A1
Application number: US11/319,529
Authority: US
Inventors: Nobuhiro Watanabe
Original assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co Ltd
Current assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co Ltd
Priority date: 2005-09-28
Filing date: 2005-12-29
Publication date: 2007-03-29
Also published as: JP2007089746A

Abstract

A self-standing type golf bag comprising a light-weight main body and a pair of support legs is disclosed wherein the support legs are pushed out and spread with ease even if the weight of golf clubs and other items placed in the golf bag is heavy. The golf bag comprises a main body 12, support legs 30 attached to the main body, a push-up plate 34 attached to a lower end of the main body 12, push-up rods 36 whose upper ends are coupled to the support legs and whose lower ends are coupled to the push-up plate, and a support belt 102 attached to the main body 12 for supporting the push-up rods 36 from an inner side of the push-up rods.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a golf stand bag for golf clubs, and more particularly to a golf bag having a support leg for supporting the main body of the golf bag as it is tilted.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, a golf bag that is used mostly without caddie services has a light-weight structure with support legs for supporting the main body of the golf bag as it is tilted (for example, see JP 09-187541 A). FIGS. 4 and 5 show such a golf bag. FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the golf bag with its support legs folded in, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the same with its support legs pulled out.
The golf bag 10 of this example has the main body 10 having a closed-end tubular shape. The main body 12 of the golf bag 10 has a light-weight structure comprising a frame body and an armoring material 18 surrounding the frame body. The frame body is formed by arranging a plurality (normally three or four) of metal or hard plastic circular rods between an opening frame 14 and a bottom plate 16 which are made of hard plastic material. The armoring material 18 is made of fabric, such as nylon, polyester, or urethane fabrics, and installed around the body frame. Article receiving pockets 20, 22 are opened and closed by a fastener, and a support leg receiving pocket 24 is opened and closed also by a fastener 26.
A support member 28 made of hard plastic material or metal is installed inside the support leg receiving pocket 24 at an outer periphery of the opening frame 14 of the main body 12, and the top end portions of a pair of support legs 30, 30 made of metal or hard plastic material are respectively attached to the support member 28 so as to pivot around an attachment shaft attached to the support member 28. Further, a stopper member 32 made, for example, of hard plastic material is attached to the top end portions of each support leg 30. When the support legs 30, 30 rotate outwardly around their top end portions as rotatably attached to the support member 28, the upper end of the stopper member 32 comes into contact with a predetermined position of the support member 28, so that the support legs 30, 30 are stopped from further rotating at a predetermined angle.
The top or base end portion of a push-up plate 34 made of hard plastic material is resiliently or rotatably attached to a bottom plate 16 for the main body 12. The attachment can be realized with or without the use of an attachment shaft that connects the bottom plate 16 and the push-up plate 34. Without the attachment shaft, the top end of the push-up plate 34 can be fixed to the bottom surface of the bottom plate 16. When the golf bag 10 is tilted around the tip of the push-up plate 34, the push-up plate 34 may resiliently yield under the weight of the golf bag and its contents or possibly under additional downward forces the golfer applies to the golf bag 10 or the opening frame 14. Further, a pair of push- up rods 36, 36 made of metal or hard plastic material are attached at their lower ends to the tip or free end portion of the push-up plate 34, and the upper end portions of the push- up rods 36, 36 are bent so as to be rotatably inserted into insertion holes 38 formed in the lower portion of the stopper members 32. In this example, the pair of push- up rods 36, 36 is actually one piece and formed by bending a single rod. Further, a first fixing member 40 and a second fixing member 42 made of metal or hard plastic material are attached to the push-up rods 36, 36 so as to hold them together. These fixing members 40, 42 can be two parts that are held together by screws or rivets to sandwich the push-up rods 36, 36. The first fixing member 40, which is positioned lower than the second fixing member 42, has receiving concave portions 44 for accepting the support legs 30, 30 when they are held inside the support leg receiving pocket 24.
Further, a part of the bottom surface of the bottom plate 16 is inclined toward the support leg side to form an inclined face 46 so that the main body 12 of the golf bag 10 can be tilted in the direction of the support legs 30, 30 pivoting around the tip of the push-up plate 34. The inclined face 46 is formed by cutting the corner of the bottom end of the otherwise cylindrical bottom plate 16 on its support leg side, and the free end of the push-up plate 34 projects over the inclined face 46. The inclined face 46 and the push-up plate 34 are apart from each other when the main body 12 stands substantially vertically. When the main body 12 is tilted, the tip of the push-up plate 34 is pressed against the ground and comes closer to the inclined face 46 due to the weight of the golf bag and its contents or further due to additional downward forces the golfer may apply to the golf bag. A rod insertion opening 48 in the bottom plate 16 lets the push-up rods 36, 36 pass through the bottom plate 16.
The golf bag 10 of this example is structured such that when the main body 12 is tilted toward the support legs 30, 30 pivoting around the tip of the push-up plate 34, the push-up plate 34 is pressed against the ground due to the weight of the golf bag and its contents as well as possible downward forces the golfer can apply to the golf bag 10, and the push-up plate 34 resiliently yields or rotates under the weight or forces. The push-up rods 36, 36 are thus pushed upward relative to the main body 12 by the push-up plate 34. The displacement of the push-up plate 34 is transmitted to the stopper members 32, 32 or the support legs 30, 30 via the push- up rods 36, 36, and the stopper members 32, 32 that are pivotally supported by the support member 28 convert the displacement to the rotation of the support legs 30, 30. As the support legs 30, 30 rotate, they come out of the support leg receiving pocket 24, so that the distal ends of the support legs move away from the main body 12 and become spread apart from each other. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 5, the golf bag 10 stands alone and becomes self-supported by the support legs 30, 30.
With the golf bag 10 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, however, the support legs 30, 30 may not rotate outwardly and spread apart by the action of the push-up rods 36, 36, even if the main body 12 of the golf bag 10 is tilted. The golfer may have to pull out the support legs 30, 30 by hand. The main body 12 of the golf bag 10 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is of the light-weight type that has the frame body structured by a plurality of rod members arranged between the opening frame 14 and the bottom plate 16 with the armoring material 18 covering the rod members. A golf bag of this type is structurally weaker than an ordinary golf bag whose main body is made of a solid tube of hard plastic material. The main body 12 of the light-weight type tends to deform as the golf bag 10 is tilted if the weight of golf clubs and other items stored in the golf bag 10 is large. The displacement of the push-up plate 34 may not be fully transmitted to the support legs 30, 30 via the push- up rods 36, 36 due to this deformation. As a result, the support legs 30, 30 may not smoothly come out of the pocket 24 by the action of the push-up plate 34 and rods 36, 36.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a new golf bag of stand-alone type in which a pair of support legs can be folded into the golf bag and can be extended outwardly when the golf bag is tilted on the tip of the push-up plate that is attached to the bottom end of the main body of the golf bag, wherein the displacement of the push-up plate due to the weight of the golf bag 10 and its contents such as clubs is securely transmitted to the pair of support legs via a push-up rod even if the contents of the golf bag is heavy.
In order to achieve the object mentioned above, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a golf bag comprising: a main body; a pair of support legs pivotally attached to an outer periphery of an upper portion of the main body; a push-up plate attached to a lower end of the main body; a pair of push-up rods whose upper ends are coupled to upper ends of the support legs and whose lower ends are coupled to the push-up plate; and a support belt attached to the main body for supporting the push-up rods from an inner side of the push-up rods; wherein the pair of support legs are pushed out and spread when the main body is tilted and the push-up plate is displaced relative to the lower end of the main body, and the displacement of the push-up plate is transmitted to the support legs via the push-up rods.
In accordance with the golf bag of the present invention, since the support belt mentioned above is installed to the main body of the golf bag, the support belt comes into contact with the push-up rods so as to support the push-up rods from the inner side when the main body is tilted and the pair of support legs are pushed and expanded outwardly. As the main body tilts, accordingly, even if the main body of the golf bag deforms due to the heavy weight of the golf clubs and other items put in the golf bag or when the golfer pushes the golf bag down, a pair of support legs can be easily stretched out from their folded position thanks to the support belt.
According to the present invention, the material of the support belt is not particularly limited, however, it is preferable that the support belt is made of synthetic resin such as nylon and which has little or substantially no elasticity. Further, the shape and dimension of the support belt are not particularly limited, however, it is preferable to use a rectangular belt having a width of 2 to 20 cm, more preferably 3 to 10 cm. In this case, it is preferable to arrange the rectangular support belt between the push-up rods and the main body of the golf bag in such a manner that a longitudinal direction of the support belt is orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the push-up rod, and firmly fix the opposite end portions in the longitudinal direction of the support belt to the main body. The main body of the golf bag is provided with a support leg receiving pocket that can be opened or closed for holding and extending the support legs. The push-up rods can also be located within this support leg receiving pocket. The rectangular support belt is arranged inside the push-up rods so that the longitudinal direction of the support belt is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the push-up rods as mentioned above. Inside the support leg receiving pocket, the opposite end portions in the longitudinal direction of the support belt are fixed to the golf bag main body. In this case, one support belt may be installed to the main body, or alternatively a plurality of support belts may be installed to the main body.
According to the present invention, the golf bag may preferably be light-weight type that has a plurality of rod members arranged between the opening frame and the bottom plate to form a frame body and an armoring material around the frame body. In this case, the top ends of the support legs are rotatably attached to the outer peripheral portion of the opening frame or the support member, and the upper end portion of the push-up plate is attached to the bottom surface of the bottom plate.
In accordance with the golf bag of the present invention, the support legs for self-supporting the main body of the golf bag can easily be extended outwardly from their folded position inside the support leg receiving pocket.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a golf bag according to an embodiment of the present invention shown as the support legs being folded up;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the golf bag shown in FIG. 1 shown as the support legs being pulled out;
FIG. 3 is a view schematically showing an installation state of a support belt to a golf bag main body of the golf bag;
FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of a conventional golf bag shown as its support legs folded up; and
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the conventional golf bag shown as its support legs pulled out.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

An embodiment in accordance with the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings; however, the present invention is by no means limited to the following embodiment and is defined by the claims. FIGS. 1 and 2 show a golf bag according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a front elevational view showing the condition in which the support legs 30, 30 are folded in, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the condition in which the support legs 30, 30 are pulled out. The golf bag in FIGS. 1 and 2 is identical to the golf bag shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 except that a support belt mentioned below is installed to the main body of the golf bag. Accordingly, the same reference numerals are given to the same parts or portions in FIGS. 1 and 2 as those in FIGS. 4 and 5, and discussions on similar parts will not be repeated.
A golf bag 100 in accordance with the present embodiment is structured such that a support belt 102 for supporting the push-up rods 36, 36 from their inner side is installed to the main body 12 of the golf bag, and the support belt 102 supports the push-up rods 36, 36 from their inner side as the main body 12 of the golf bag 10 is tilted, and as the pair of support legs 30, 30 are pushed out by the action of the push-up rods 36, 36 and the stopper members 32, 32.
As schematically shown in the horizontal cross-sectional view of FIG. 3A, the main body 12 of the golf bag 100 has flap members 25, 25 which may be made of a natural or synthetic fabric and which can close the support leg receiving pocket 24. When the flap members 25, 25 are closed by the fastener 26, the support legs 30, 30 and the push-up rods 36, 36 are concealed. In FIG. 3, the flap members 25, 25 and the armoring material 18 are the same fabric. At the fixed ends of the flap members 25, 25, two longitudinal bars 27, 27 that are made of flexible resin material are attached. These bars 27, 27 span between the opening frame 14 and the bottom plate 16. They flex when the golf bag is tilted and the opening frame 14 is pushed down against the ground. They tend to bend sideways to increase the horizontal distance between them. A closure material 23 made normally of fabric that is thinner than the armoring material is provided to close the main compartment of the golf bag.
A rectangular support belt 102 that is made of synthetic resin or fabric such as nylon and that has substantially no elasticity is arranged on the inside of the push-up rods 36, 36 or between the push-up rods 36, 36 and the closure material 23 in such a manner that the longitudinal direction of the support belt is substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the push-up rods 36, 36. Inside the support leg receiving pocket 24, the opposite end portions in the longitudinal direction of the support belt 102 are attached to the longitudinal bars 27, 27 and the flap members 25, 25 or to the inner surface of the support leg receiving pocket 24. This attachment may be accomplished using any conventional method, such as gluing, sewing or thermal melting. The support belt 102 is positioned at or around the middle point in the length of main body 12.
When the main body 12 is tilted and the opening frame 14 is pressed down, the longitudinal bars 27, 27 slightly bend sideways so that their horizontal distance increases. With this movement of the longitudinal bars 27, 27, the support belt 102 is pulled from its opposite ends and becomes tense. This tension moves the support belt 102 toward the outside of the pocket 24 as shown in FIG. 3B.
In accordance with the present embodiment, since the support belt 102 is attached to the main body 12 as described above, the support belt 102 comes into contact with the push-up rods 36, 36 so as to support the push-up rods 36, 36 from their inner side when the main body 12 is tilted and the opening frame 14 is pushed down, and a pair of support legs 30, 30 can be securely pushed out and stretched through the action of the push-up rod 36, 36. In other words, the support belt 102 pushes or supports the push-up rods 36, 36 relative to the main body 12 or the armoring material 18 toward the outside of the support leg receiving pocket 24. The support legs 30, 30 to which the push-up rods 36, 36 are attached can move out of the support leg receiving pocket more smoothly. Accordingly, even if the main body 12 of the golf bag 100 deforms due to the heavy weight of golf clubs and other items placed in the golf bag 100 when the main body 12 is tilted, the pair of support legs 30, 30 can be easily pulled out and stretched thanks to the support belt 102.
Also, as shown in FIG. 3B, as the golfer tilts the main body 12 and pushes the opening frame 14 down so as to press the push-up plate 34 against the ground, the unzipped flap members 25, 25 open and the longitudinal bars 27, 27 move away from each other at their middle portions. Then, the support belt 102 is pulled and given some tension so that it moves outward. Consequently, the support belt 102, which is positioned closed to the push-up rods 36, 36, comes into contact with and pushes the push-up rods 36, 36. The push-up rods 36, 36 push up the lower portions of the stopper members 32, 32, and the support legs are rotated and spread outside the support leg receiving pocket 24.
Furthermore, it is also possible to arrange the support legs 30, 30 closer to the main body than the push-up rods 36, 36 as shown in FIG. 3C, so that the support belt 102 comes into contact with the support legs 30, 30 rather than the push-up rods 36, 36.
Also, since the opposite end portions in the longitudinal direction of the support belt 102 are fixed to the inner surface of the support leg receiving pocket 24 or to the flap members 25, 25, the support leg receiving pocket 24 is prevented from broadening sideways in an uncontrolled way even if the main body 12 of the golf bag is tilted while the player is holding the opening frame 14 and pushing the push-up plate 34 to the ground.
In accordance with the present embodiment, the light-weight type main body 12 of the golf bag 100 is structured to have a frame body which is made up of the opening frame 14, bottom plate 16 and a plurality of rod members arranged between the opening frame 14 and the bottom plate 16; and an armoring material 18 around the frame body, as mentioned above. The top ends of the support legs 30, 30 are rotatably attached to the outer peripheral portion of the opening frame 14, and the upper end portion of the push-up plate 34 is attached to the bottom surface of the bottom plate 16. The frame body may be formed using rods made of metal such as stainless steel or aluminum alloy, or of hard plastic material such as a carbon fiber reinforcing resin or a polycarbonate resin. However, it is preferable to use hard plastic rods, particularly polycarbonate rods, in order to reduce weight. For the support leg 30 and the push-up rod 36, it is preferable to use hard plastic rods, particularly polycarbonate rods, for weight reduction. Further, as the armoring material 18 mentioned above, nylon or other synthetic fabric is preferable for weight reduction purposes. Also, the armoring material may preferably be treated for water-proofing on the surface. The weight of the main body 12 is suitably set between 1.5 and 3.5 kg, particularly between 1.8 and 3.0 kg, with at least some of the weight-saving measures mentioned above.
The golf bag in accordance with the present invention is not limited to the embodiment discussed above. For example, the structure, shape, material and the like of the main body of the golf bag, support legs, push-up plate, and push-up rods can be variously modified within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A golf bag comprising:

a main body;

a pair of support legs pivotally attached to an outer periphery of an upper portion of the main body;

a push-up plate attached to a lower end of the main body;

a pair of push-up rods whose upper ends are coupled to upper ends of the support legs and whose lower ends are coupled to the push-up plate; and

a support belt attached to the main body for pushing the push-up rods from an inner side of the push-up rods;

wherein the pair of support legs are pushed out and spread when the main body is tilted and the push-up plate is displaced relative to the lower end of the main body, and the displacement of the push-up plate is transmitted to the support legs via the push-up rods.

2. The golf bag according to claim 1, wherein the support belt has a rectangular shape and is arranged between the push-up rods and the main body in such a manner that a longitudinal direction of the support belt is orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the push-up rod.

3. The golf bag according to claim 1, wherein the support belt is positioned at or near a middle point in the length of the main body.

4. The golf bag according to claim 1, wherein the main body comprises a frame body including an opening frame, a bottom plate, and a plurality of rod members arranged between the opening frame and bottom plate; and an armoring material surrounding the rod members.

5. The golf bag according to claim 4, in which the support belt is pulled at its horizontal ends and given some tension when the golf bag is tilted and the opening frame is pushed down.

6. The golf bag according to claim 4, wherein top ends of the support legs are rotatably attached to an outer peripheral portion of said opening frame, and the push-up plate is rotatably or resiliently attached to the bottom plate.

7. A golf bag comprising:

a main body;

a push-up plate attached to a lower end of the main body;

a support belt attached to the main body for pushing the support legs from an inner side of the push-up rods;