US20100203979A1 - Device for securing a golf ball marker to a golf club - Google Patents
Device for securing a golf ball marker to a golf club Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20100203979A1 US20100203979A1 US12/367,094 US36709409A US2010203979A1 US 20100203979 A1 US20100203979 A1 US 20100203979A1 US 36709409 A US36709409 A US 36709409A US 2010203979 A1 US2010203979 A1 US 2010203979A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- marker
- golf
- extending
- slit
- anchor
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Images
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
- A63B57/20—Holders, e.g. of tees or of balls
- A63B57/207—Golf ball position marker holders
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B53/00—Golf clubs
- A63B53/14—Handles
-
- 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
- A63B57/30—Markers
- A63B57/353—Golf ball position markers
Definitions
- This invention is directed to a device for holding a golf ball marker, in particular, a device that is capable of being secured on a retrofit basis to a golf club such as a putter and holding a golf ball marker therein.
- Golf ball markers are well known in the art and primarily take the form of small dime-sized disks capable of being carried in the pocket of the user. Golf ball markers, as they are known, are used by players to mark their particular ball so as not to interfere with the play of others, and to allow the removal of a ball in play for cleaning or maintenance. It is customary, particularly on the green, for the player closer to the hole to remove his ball to permit a player farther away from the hole to putt without interference. In order to keep track of and maintain the removed ball's original position, a marker, usually a small disk such as a coin or a specially designed piece is placed where the ball had been.
- disks or markers in and of themselves are satisfactory. However, they need to be carried in a manner that is convenient to the player around the course during play. Although a pocket may seem an obvious place in which to carry the marker while golfing, the player's pocket may be full of tees, spare golf balls, change or the like, making it inconvenient and cumbersome to fish the marker out of the pocket, particularly when the player is wearing golf gloves.
- a golf marker holder has a body.
- An anchor extends from the body and is adapted to be received by an opening within the grip of a golf club handle.
- An open-ended slit is formed within the body and dimensioned to receive a marker. The slit defines the travel path within the body for the marker.
- a biasing member is disposed within the body to operatively communicate with the slit to maintain a tension fit against a marker as a marker moves through the slit along the travel path.
- FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the device, showing the inner mechanism, constructed in accordance with the invention
- FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the device constructed in accordance with the invention.
- FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 3 - 3 of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 4 is a view of the device in use showing a golf club in phantom in accordance with the invention.
- Device 100 includes a body 110 .
- Body 110 includes an anchor member 112 extending from a bottom surface 114 of body 110 .
- Anchor member 112 includes a shaft 116 and a chamfered head 118 formed with shaft 116 and spaced from body 110 by shaft 116 .
- shaft 116 is threaded to be received by body 110 and extends into body 110 as will be described later.
- a retaining member 120 ( FIG. 2 ) is formed on body 110 and is spaced from a top surface 124 of body 1 10 .
- Body 110 cooperates with overhanging retaining member 120 to form a closed end slot 122 .
- Slot 122 is dimensioned to receive a golf marker such as some specially designed or customized flat disk as known in the art, or a dime or penny as is also commonly used in golf play.
- retaining member 120 can form slot 122 so long as there is a space between overhang member 120 and top surface 124 of body 110 .
- Slot 122 may be formed by a substantially horseshoe-shaped member 120 so that the marker is caught at the edges and access is allowed to slot 122 and to the majority of the marker for ease of removal by a thumb or finger.
- overhanging retaining member 120 is formed to substantially overlap the entirety of top surface 124 of body 110 with a niche cutout 126 to provide a region for grasping the marker for removal.
- biasing member 130 is disposed within body 110 ( FIG. 3 ). Biasing member 130 extends into slot 122 along a slide path generally indicated as arrow A of a marker 128 as it enters slot 122 .
- biasing member 130 includes a spring member 132 .
- a rounded surface, preferably a ball bearing 134 or the like is disposed upon spring 132 so that spring 132 biases the ball bearing through an opening 136 of top surface (slot floor) 124 into the slide path. In this way, marker 128 is biased by ball bearing 134 against retaining member 120 to maintain marker 128 within slot 122 by tension or friction fit.
- FIG. 4 a marker is shown in use.
- golf clubs are made with grips.
- Each grip includes an opening at the top of the grip. The opening is there to release trapped air during the golf club assembly process.
- Device 100 is affixed to a golf club 200 at the opening 202 within grip 204 .
- Anchor 112 is adapted to be inserted into opening 202 of grip 204 .
- the chamfered surface of tip 118 passes through opening 202 with the application of some, but not excessive pressure on body 110 in the direction of anchor 118 .
- the tip diameter of tip 118 is smaller at its distal end than opening 202 , but greater than opening 202 at its proximal end, and therefore passes through opening 202 by forcing opening 202 open. Opening 202 recovers to return to a diameter less than the proximal end of tip 118 thereby securing anchor 112 within grip 204 of golf club 200 .
- a marker 122 such as a coin or a custom marker is slid in the direction of arrow A along a slide path into slot 122 .
- Marker 128 deflects bearing 134 against the bias of spring 132 as marker 122 moves along the slide path. Ball bearing 134 pushes against marker 122 to bias and force marker 122 against retaining member 120 to retain marker 122 within slot 122 . In this manner, marker 128 is secured within body 110 , which now travels with club 200 . Therefore, the marker is always handy and readily accessible to the golfer.
- biasing member 130 includes a spring and ball bearing construction
- biasing member 130 could be simply a spring 132 with a chamfer around its surface extending through opening 136 or even a chamfered surface within the slide path affixed to floor 124 or formed with floor 124 in which the marker slides over a smooth raised surface at one or more points of contact to pin marker 128 against retaining member 120 .
- This may take the form of one or more detents or bumps formed along floor 124 along the slide path.
- the present inventions provides a structure for maintaining a golf ball marker of almost any common type near play without the need for special marker structure. In this way, if one were to inadvertently lose their marker, the invention is still capable of operating with a coin or any replacement marker capable of fitting within the slot.
- a universal, simple construction, easy to use and readily available device is thus provided that allows for keeping a golf marker handy without the need for any special structured marker or retrofitting of any golf apparatus or clothing.
Abstract
A golf marker holder has a body. An anchor extends from the body and is adapted to be received by an opening within the grip of a golf club handle. An open-ended slit is formed within the body and dimensioned to receive a marker. The slit defines the travel path within the body for the marker. A biasing member is disposed within the body to operatively communicate with the slit to maintain a tension fit against a marker as a marker moves through the slit along the travel path.
Description
- This invention is directed to a device for holding a golf ball marker, in particular, a device that is capable of being secured on a retrofit basis to a golf club such as a putter and holding a golf ball marker therein.
- Golf ball markers are well known in the art and primarily take the form of small dime-sized disks capable of being carried in the pocket of the user. Golf ball markers, as they are known, are used by players to mark their particular ball so as not to interfere with the play of others, and to allow the removal of a ball in play for cleaning or maintenance. It is customary, particularly on the green, for the player closer to the hole to remove his ball to permit a player farther away from the hole to putt without interference. In order to keep track of and maintain the removed ball's original position, a marker, usually a small disk such as a coin or a specially designed piece is placed where the ball had been.
- These disks or markers in and of themselves are satisfactory. However, they need to be carried in a manner that is convenient to the player around the course during play. Although a pocket may seem an obvious place in which to carry the marker while golfing, the player's pocket may be full of tees, spare golf balls, change or the like, making it inconvenient and cumbersome to fish the marker out of the pocket, particularly when the player is wearing golf gloves.
- Various devices have been developed to carry a golf ball marker around the course including forming the marker as a snap button on a golf glove, forming the marker as a magnetic pin affixable to clothing and, even as known from U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,858,925 and 3,774,913, mechanisms for removably affixing the golf ball marker to a golf club. However, each of these devices requires a specially crafted golf marker to interact with the carrying mechanism. Therefore, if one were to misplace or lose the marker, the player must purchase a new specially designed marker to use as a replacement.
- Accordingly, a system, which overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art, is desired.
- A golf marker holder has a body. An anchor extends from the body and is adapted to be received by an opening within the grip of a golf club handle. An open-ended slit is formed within the body and dimensioned to receive a marker. The slit defines the travel path within the body for the marker. A biasing member is disposed within the body to operatively communicate with the slit to maintain a tension fit against a marker as a marker moves through the slit along the travel path.
- For a fuller understanding of the invention, reference is had to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:
-
FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the device, showing the inner mechanism, constructed in accordance with the invention; -
FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the device constructed in accordance with the invention; -
FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 3-3 ofFIG. 1 ; and -
FIG. 4 is a view of the device in use showing a golf club in phantom in accordance with the invention. - Reference is made to
FIG. 1 in which a device, generally indicated as 100 for securing a golf ball marker to a golf club is provided.Device 100 includes abody 110.Body 110 includes ananchor member 112 extending from abottom surface 114 ofbody 110.Anchor member 112 includes ashaft 116 and a chamferedhead 118 formed withshaft 116 and spaced frombody 110 byshaft 116. In a preferred non-limiting embodiment,shaft 116 is threaded to be received bybody 110 and extends intobody 110 as will be described later. - A retaining member 120 (
FIG. 2 ) is formed onbody 110 and is spaced from atop surface 124 of body 1 10.Body 110 cooperates with overhanging retainingmember 120 to form a closedend slot 122.Slot 122 is dimensioned to receive a golf marker such as some specially designed or customized flat disk as known in the art, or a dime or penny as is also commonly used in golf play. - It should be noted that retaining
member 120 can formslot 122 so long as there is a space betweenoverhang member 120 andtop surface 124 ofbody 110.Slot 122 may be formed by a substantially horseshoe-shaped member 120 so that the marker is caught at the edges and access is allowed toslot 122 and to the majority of the marker for ease of removal by a thumb or finger. However, for additional retention it may be preferred that overhanging retainingmember 120 is formed to substantially overlap the entirety oftop surface 124 ofbody 110 with aniche cutout 126 to provide a region for grasping the marker for removal. - A
biasing member 130 is disposed within body 110 (FIG. 3 ).Biasing member 130 extends intoslot 122 along a slide path generally indicated as arrow A of amarker 128 as it entersslot 122. In a preferred embodiment, biasingmember 130 includes aspring member 132. A rounded surface, preferably a ball bearing 134 or the like is disposed uponspring 132 so thatspring 132 biases the ball bearing through anopening 136 of top surface (slot floor) 124 into the slide path. In this way,marker 128 is biased by ball bearing 134 against retainingmember 120 to maintainmarker 128 withinslot 122 by tension or friction fit. - Reference is now made to
FIG. 4 in which a marker is shown in use. As is known in the art, golf clubs are made with grips. Each grip includes an opening at the top of the grip. The opening is there to release trapped air during the golf club assembly process.Device 100 is affixed to agolf club 200 at theopening 202 withingrip 204.Anchor 112 is adapted to be inserted into opening 202 ofgrip 204. The chamfered surface oftip 118 passes throughopening 202 with the application of some, but not excessive pressure onbody 110 in the direction ofanchor 118. The tip diameter oftip 118 is smaller at its distal end than opening 202, but greater than opening 202 at its proximal end, and therefore passes through opening 202 by forcing opening 202 open.Opening 202 recovers to return to a diameter less than the proximal end oftip 118 thereby securinganchor 112 withingrip 204 ofgolf club 200. - A
marker 122 such as a coin or a custom marker is slid in the direction of arrow A along a slide path intoslot 122. Marker 128 deflects bearing 134 against the bias ofspring 132 asmarker 122 moves along the slide path. Ball bearing 134 pushes againstmarker 122 to bias andforce marker 122 against retainingmember 120 to retainmarker 122 withinslot 122. In this manner,marker 128 is secured withinbody 110, which now travels withclub 200. Therefore, the marker is always handy and readily accessible to the golfer. - It should be noted that in this embodiment that biasing
member 130 includes a spring and ball bearing construction However, biasingmember 130 could be simply aspring 132 with a chamfer around its surface extending through opening 136 or even a chamfered surface within the slide path affixed tofloor 124 or formed withfloor 124 in which the marker slides over a smooth raised surface at one or more points of contact topin marker 128 against retainingmember 120. This may take the form of one or more detents or bumps formed alongfloor 124 along the slide path. - By making a body member utilizing a slide path with a bias member therein, the entire structure being capable of being anchored to the grip of a golf club, the present inventions provides a structure for maintaining a golf ball marker of almost any common type near play without the need for special marker structure. In this way, if one were to inadvertently lose their marker, the invention is still capable of operating with a coin or any replacement marker capable of fitting within the slot. A universal, simple construction, easy to use and readily available device is thus provided that allows for keeping a golf marker handy without the need for any special structured marker or retrofitting of any golf apparatus or clothing.
- Although exemplary and preferred aspects and embodiments of the present invention have been described with a full set of features, it is to be understood that the disclosed device may be practiced successfully without the incorporation of some of those features. Thus, it must be further understood that modifications and variations may be utilized without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as those skilled in the art will readily understand. Such modifications and variations are considered to be within the purview of the appended claims and their equivalents.
Claims (7)
1. A device for securing a golf ball marker to a golf club comprising:
a body;
an anchor extending from the body, the anchor conformed to be affixed to a golf club;
an open ended slit formed within the body, the slit dimensioned to receive a golf ball marker, the slit defining a travel path within the body; and
a biasing member disposed within the body and extending into the travel path.
2. The device of claim 1 , wherein said anchor includes a shaft extending from said body and a chamfered tip extending from said shaft spaced from said body.
3. The device of claim 1 , wherein said biasing member includes a spring disposed within said body.
4. The device of claim 3 , wherein said biasing member further comprises a ball bearing disposed on said spring, said ball bearing displaceably extending into said slide path.
5. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a retaining member, the retaining member forming an upper surface for the slot disposed within said body, the retaining member being dimensioned to retain a marker within the slot, the biasing member biasing a marker against the retaining member to maintain a marker within the slot.
6. The device of claim 5 , wherein the retaining member is formed as a horseshoe.
7. A device for securing a marker to a golf club comprising:
a body;
an anchor extending from the body, the anchor conformed to be affixed to a golf club, the anchor including a shaft extending from said body and a chamfered tip extending from said shaft spaced from said body.;
an open ended slit formed within the body, the slit dimensioned to receive a golf marker, the slit defining a travel path within the body; and
a biasing member disposed within the body and extending into the travel path, said biasing member includes a spring disposed within said body, and a ball bearing disposed on said spring, said ball bearing displaceably extending into said slide path.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US12/367,094 US20100203979A1 (en) | 2009-02-06 | 2009-02-06 | Device for securing a golf ball marker to a golf club |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US12/367,094 US20100203979A1 (en) | 2009-02-06 | 2009-02-06 | Device for securing a golf ball marker to a golf club |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20100203979A1 true US20100203979A1 (en) | 2010-08-12 |
Family
ID=42540892
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US12/367,094 Abandoned US20100203979A1 (en) | 2009-02-06 | 2009-02-06 | Device for securing a golf ball marker to a golf club |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20100203979A1 (en) |
Cited By (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20130130823A1 (en) * | 2011-11-21 | 2013-05-23 | Robert Miller | Golf Ball Marker Holder |
USD760853S1 (en) * | 2015-01-19 | 2016-07-05 | Jbd Holdings Inc. | Putter grip end cap configured for demountable engagement of a ball marker |
USD763378S1 (en) * | 2015-01-19 | 2016-08-09 | Jbd Holdings Inc. | Putter grip cupped end cap configured for demountable engagement of a ball marker |
USD796608S1 (en) * | 2016-04-14 | 2017-09-05 | Eaton Corporation | Golf grip cap |
USD831145S1 (en) * | 2017-02-17 | 2018-10-16 | Stanley Kuo | Clip for securing a golf ball marker |
USD908830S1 (en) * | 2019-01-28 | 2021-01-26 | Molly Siebenaler | Holder for golf ball marker |
Citations (13)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2261959A (en) * | 1940-01-11 | 1941-11-11 | John W Buttikofer | Golf club and attachment therefor |
US3779551A (en) * | 1971-12-10 | 1973-12-18 | Aluminum Co Of America | Indicator element for ball bat |
US4239216A (en) * | 1978-12-07 | 1980-12-16 | Bauer Frank L | Golfer's greens keeping aid |
US4380337A (en) * | 1981-11-20 | 1983-04-19 | Dimatteo Rocco J | Golf ball position marking device |
US4822052A (en) * | 1987-12-07 | 1989-04-18 | Dimmick Gary S | Golf club grip attachment for identification and ball position marking |
US4957293A (en) * | 1988-06-13 | 1990-09-18 | Byrd Danny L | Golf ball marker and holder apparatus for marker |
US4968037A (en) * | 1989-05-12 | 1990-11-06 | Berry William J | Putter attachable holder for ball position marker |
US5690558A (en) * | 1996-08-22 | 1997-11-25 | Larry K. Goodman | Golf ball retriever |
US6200226B1 (en) * | 1999-04-28 | 2001-03-13 | Kathleen A. Regan | Golf putter |
US6692373B2 (en) * | 2002-02-06 | 2004-02-17 | Tim L. Hultquist | Golf ball positioning device |
US20040254025A1 (en) * | 2003-06-13 | 2004-12-16 | Arnold Frumin | Advertising and item identification apparatus and method |
US6899635B2 (en) * | 2003-02-26 | 2005-05-31 | Robert Nadratowski | Device for use with a golf club to pick up objects |
US20070060412A1 (en) * | 2005-09-14 | 2007-03-15 | Penton Hugh V | Pitch-mark repair tool for a golf club |
-
2009
- 2009-02-06 US US12/367,094 patent/US20100203979A1/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (13)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2261959A (en) * | 1940-01-11 | 1941-11-11 | John W Buttikofer | Golf club and attachment therefor |
US3779551A (en) * | 1971-12-10 | 1973-12-18 | Aluminum Co Of America | Indicator element for ball bat |
US4239216A (en) * | 1978-12-07 | 1980-12-16 | Bauer Frank L | Golfer's greens keeping aid |
US4380337A (en) * | 1981-11-20 | 1983-04-19 | Dimatteo Rocco J | Golf ball position marking device |
US4822052A (en) * | 1987-12-07 | 1989-04-18 | Dimmick Gary S | Golf club grip attachment for identification and ball position marking |
US4957293A (en) * | 1988-06-13 | 1990-09-18 | Byrd Danny L | Golf ball marker and holder apparatus for marker |
US4968037A (en) * | 1989-05-12 | 1990-11-06 | Berry William J | Putter attachable holder for ball position marker |
US5690558A (en) * | 1996-08-22 | 1997-11-25 | Larry K. Goodman | Golf ball retriever |
US6200226B1 (en) * | 1999-04-28 | 2001-03-13 | Kathleen A. Regan | Golf putter |
US6692373B2 (en) * | 2002-02-06 | 2004-02-17 | Tim L. Hultquist | Golf ball positioning device |
US6899635B2 (en) * | 2003-02-26 | 2005-05-31 | Robert Nadratowski | Device for use with a golf club to pick up objects |
US20040254025A1 (en) * | 2003-06-13 | 2004-12-16 | Arnold Frumin | Advertising and item identification apparatus and method |
US20070060412A1 (en) * | 2005-09-14 | 2007-03-15 | Penton Hugh V | Pitch-mark repair tool for a golf club |
Cited By (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20130130823A1 (en) * | 2011-11-21 | 2013-05-23 | Robert Miller | Golf Ball Marker Holder |
USD760853S1 (en) * | 2015-01-19 | 2016-07-05 | Jbd Holdings Inc. | Putter grip end cap configured for demountable engagement of a ball marker |
USD763378S1 (en) * | 2015-01-19 | 2016-08-09 | Jbd Holdings Inc. | Putter grip cupped end cap configured for demountable engagement of a ball marker |
USD796608S1 (en) * | 2016-04-14 | 2017-09-05 | Eaton Corporation | Golf grip cap |
USD831145S1 (en) * | 2017-02-17 | 2018-10-16 | Stanley Kuo | Clip for securing a golf ball marker |
USD908830S1 (en) * | 2019-01-28 | 2021-01-26 | Molly Siebenaler | Holder for golf ball marker |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US20100203979A1 (en) | Device for securing a golf ball marker to a golf club | |
US5934530A (en) | Golf accessory organizer | |
US6050905A (en) | Divot tool with ball marker | |
US6758762B2 (en) | Golf club grip in combination with ball marker and divot repairer | |
US7621819B1 (en) | Multiple purpose golf tool | |
US20090025625A1 (en) | Golf counter | |
US5364094A (en) | Golf ball position marking aid | |
WO2000067853A1 (en) | Golf ball marking device | |
US3791652A (en) | Dimple mark repair device and ball marker combination with golf club | |
US6200226B1 (en) | Golf putter | |
US20110312447A1 (en) | Combination Divot Tool | |
US1709546A (en) | Tee holder for golf-club shafts | |
US8221254B2 (en) | Golf glove | |
KR20230002089U (en) | Golf glove easy to carry golf tees and ball markers | |
US20220314085A1 (en) | Automatic winding device for golf towel | |
US20060240904A1 (en) | Putter with integral ball retriever | |
US11850485B2 (en) | Golf tee holder | |
KR200482647Y1 (en) | Ball marker container | |
KR200245107Y1 (en) | Assistant utensil of golf | |
US20090119821A1 (en) | Belt with ball mark repair tool | |
KR200341685Y1 (en) | golf club with marker | |
US20060068944A1 (en) | Retractable ball mark repair tool | |
JP2000051415A (en) | Club for ground golf | |
US20060081494A1 (en) | Golf wipe container | |
KR20240039491A (en) | aiming device for golf |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |