US2081511A

US2081511A - Golf putting device

Info

Publication number: US2081511A
Application number: US732872A
Authority: US
Inventors: Smith Orville
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1934-06-28
Filing date: 1934-06-28
Publication date: 1937-05-25
Anticipated expiration: 1954-05-25

Description

y 1937- 0. SMITH 2,081,511

GOLF PUTTING DEVICE Filed June 28, 1934 Patented May 25, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

This invention relates to'a golf putting device, andrmore particularly to a plate or mat of 'rubher or other appropriate material, suitably divided into compartments which may be assigned 5 different values to-indicate accuracy of play.

The object of my invention is to provide a portable putting device practical for indoor or outdoor use on any playing surface such as, for illustration but not limitation, carpet, floor, concrete, gravel, sand, grass or synthetic grass.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a putting device which has intrinsic value in testing and developing the players skill and accuracy on the putting green in respect to power applied to the stroke, proper timing and direction, in that a meansv is afforded for accurately measuring the effects obtained; toprovide a novel game andto stimulate new interest in golf by means of an amusing and not too difficult test of putting skill; and to provide such a device'adapted for use in small areas. Other objects will appear in the references made to the accompanying drawing and in the detailed description.

5 More particularly the device comprises a plate which may be of various forms and of various configurations of surface and of various compositions, and an incidental feature of the device is to give certain areas of the board certain: values. which will determine the score of those who contest their putting ability. The preferred form of-the device is a plate of rubber or other material and preferably of square outline and having lines, ridges, grooves, or

undulations in any numbers of two or more, positioned at spaced concentric intervals about the center which represents the cup. The golf ball will travel over the subdivided areas into the cup if it has 'the properdirection and speed 40 and will lodge in one of the intermediate or outer areas orizones if it is not properly directed toward the cup with proper speed. The plate may: be-made of anythickness of material, but is preferably thin, and at three inch-or other intervals may have ribs or grooves extending as annular subdivisions around the center. The plate may also be made of rectangular or other form and subdivided into rectangularareas or areas of other shapes, as desired. The board may be in the form of a fiat sheet having the subdivisions in the form of heavy cords secured to the upper surface thereof. It also may be in the form of a flat plate with depressions within which artificial grass may be placed so that the trackway for the golf ball will be substantially' level,. but the traction effect of the surface will be decidedly different and the golf ball} traveling over the surface will be retarded onqthe rubber grass section and held from the center of the board. It is apparent that the 5 separate receptacles may be indicated by depressions intheplate but at present this is not the preferred form.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention, then, consists of 10 the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the annexed drawing and the following description setting forth: in detail certainstructures embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting, 15 however, but several of various forms in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawing:

Fig. l represents a top plan view of the preferred form of my improved putting device; 20

Fig. 2 represents a central sectional view of the device, taken along the line 2-2, shown in Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 represents an enlarged detail sectional view, taken along theline 33, shown in Figure 25 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4'represents aperspective view of the form of the device shown in Fig. 1;

Figs. 5 and 6 represent variations as to form of my invention. 30

Referring more specially to the drawing, Fig.

1 represents a golf putting device in preferred square shape, although the same may be of any desirable shape, and constructed from any suitable material, showing the multiple concentric beads, the outermost of which may be coextensive with the outer extremity of the mat. Any number of beads may be used, and the arrangements ,of the beads is optional. The center hole is herein indicated as are the other areas, all of which may be given numerical values. The preferred spacing ofthe heads is here shown. Fig. 2, indicates the relative thickness of mat and beads and plausible thickness, height and angle for the various headings. However, any thickness, height or angle may be used uniformly or in, combination in the beadings or depressions. Fig. 3 represents the golf putting device in its preferred form as it appears from putting posi- 50 tion. Fig. 5 represents a golf putting device in square shape with multiple strips around a cen ter hole and intermediate areas with a modified surface, and Fig. 6 represents a variation of the device square in shape with diagonal headings 55 intersecting the corners of the square cross strips.

The golf putting device is designed so that it will not be displaced by the impact of the ball on its surface. For illustration but not limitation, the composition used in its manufacture may be rubber, paper, metal, felt, asbestos, clay or some appropriate synthetic material, although rubber is at present the preferred material due to its resilience, the mat being of uniform or varying traction effect over its surface. One of the above-named or another material may be used exclusively, or two or more may be used in combination in the manufacture of the device. The preferred form of the device is a mat or plateau I, thin enough to be light in weight but thick enough to be durable, and preferably rectangular in shape bearing multiple strips 2. These strips may be .in the form of beads, lines, rings, ridges, depressions, grooves and/or undulations of appropriate height, width and angle. They may be either uniform in spacing or in other combination at definite intervals around but not necessarily equidistant from the center area preferably a circle 3 which represents the cup. The mat may be die cast or may be assembled from any number of integral parts by means of an appropriate process dependent on the material or materials used.

As is clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawing, the beads 2 are preferably formed with outwardly and downwardly inclined upper faces 4 and with substantially vertical inner faces 5. This shaping of the beads provides for the free movement of a golf ball toward the cup over the gentle slopes provided by the successive inclined faces 4 on the beads 2, but prevents such golf ball passing freely across the entire mat i by reason of the obstruction to free rolling movement provided by the vertical portions of the beads which would be presented to the path of travel of a golf ball moving past center on the opposite area of the mat. The concentric areas 6 intermediate the concentricbeads 2 and the adjacent portions of the mat may be plane surfaces or may be modified surfaces such as shallow ribbed or pebbled surfaces, or may be provided with artificial or synthetic grass made of upwardly extending flexible rubber members positioned close to one another so as to form a grass-like surface.

In the construction shown in Figure 5, the areas I are each formed with parallel shallow rib members intermediate the more elevated rib members 2, formed by the beads.

As is shown in Figure 6, the mat I may be formed with concentric subdivisions defined by the beads 2 and a central area forming the cup 3 and diagonally disposed beads 8 may be provided intersecting each of the corners of the square crossstrips or beads 2.

In any of the several constructions shown in the drawing, the surfaces of the respective mats may be divided into different areas determined by the dividing units and such areas, shown as the portions 9, l0 and I I in Fig. 6, may be given certain values to create a game of competition, such numbers to be indicated on the mat in an appropriate manner. From this incidental feature of the device, different games. may be conceived by using a variable number of balls at different distances from which par may be determined. This allows for a series of games made possible by varied rules as to the time for lifting and counting the value of each ball. The mat and the beads, strips and/or depressions may be a common color or any combination of colors may be used.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of those explained, change being made as regards the structure herein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. An article of the character described, having in combination a substantially fiat body member providing a golf putting area, a ball receiving central space on said member, said body member being recessed to present a plurality of ribbed areas positioned in substantially concentric relation between the outer margin of said body member and said central space.

2. An article of the character described, having in combination a substtantially flat body member providing a golf putting area, a ball receiving central space on said member, said body member being recessed to present a plurality of ribbed areas positioned in substantially concentric relation between the outer margin of said body mem-- ber and said central space, and partition members subdividing said ribbed areas.

3. An article of the character described, having in combination a substantially flat flexible body member providing a golf putting area, a ball receiving area formed integrally with said body member by a modification of the surface of said body member, and a plurality of straight parallel integrally formed upstanding beads sloped downwardly and outwardly away from said ball receiving area and presenting vertical faces at their inner edges toward said ball, receiving area.

4. An article of the character described, having in combination a substantially fiat flexible body member providing a golf putting area, a ball receiving area formed integrally with said body member by a modification of the surface of said body member, and said body member having at least one outer row of integrally formed upstanding beads sloped downwardly and outwardly away from said ball receiving area enclosing such area and presenting vertical faces at their inner edges toward said ball receiving area.

5. An article of the character described, having in combination a substantially flat body member providing a golf putting area, a ball receiving area formed integrally with said body member by a modification of the surface of said body member, and said body member having at least one outer row of straight parallel integrally formed upstanding beads sloped downwardly and outwardly away from said ball receiving area enclosing such area and presenting vertical faces at their inner edges toward said ball receiving area.

ORVILLE SMITH.