US2428853A - Golf cart - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 14, 1947. B. s. PROCTER GOLF CART Filed Oct. 21, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 14, 1947. B. s. PROCTER GOLF CART Filed 001;. 21, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 14, 1947. B. s. PROCTER GOLF CART Filed Oct. 21, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Oct. 14, 1947 GOLF CART V Bryant S. Procter, Chicago, Ill. Application October 21, 1943, Serial No. 507,108

This invention relates to golf carts, thatis, to golf club carrying vehicles for use primarily on olf courses to relieve the player or his caddy of the tiring exertion required to carry the weight of a set of golf clubs.

The main objects of the invention are to provide a golf cart which may be readily adapted to carry various types of golf clubs or caddy bags; to provide an improved bag construction, especially adapted to use as a part of a golf cart although not restricted thereto, whereby the golf clubs may easily and quickly be inserted and removed and whereby the clubs may conveniently be carried in relatively independent pockets so as to be thereby maintained out of contact with each other; to provide an improved bag structure wherein the clubs may be carried head down or shaft and grip up so as to be readily and conveniently accessible in playing position; to provide an improved bag which will effectively hold the club in the desired upright position without objectionable shifting; and in general it is the object of the invention to provide an improved golf club cart and bag of the character indicated.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be understood by references to the following specification and accompanying drawings (3 sheets) wherein there is disclosed a selected embodiment of the improved structure.

In the drawings:

Figs. 1 and 2 are perspectives illustrating the improved structure, a cover member being lllustrated as applied to the normally exposed portions of the clubs in Fig. 2;

Fig. 3 is a. vertical cross section on a plane represented by the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a cross section on the line 4-4 of Fig.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective illustration of the upper end portion of the golf club receiving bag in an inclined position;

Fig. 6 is a perspective similar to Fig. 1 but showing a modified arrangement in which the cart is. adapted for carrying a different type of cart therein illustrated comprises a shallow traylike base III, preferably made of metal. The tray is provided near one side edge with upstanding rods II, having laterally outwardly offset end por-- 7 Claims. (01. 280-51) tions constituting axles for suitable wheels I2. The rods II may be welded or otherwise rigidly secured to the ends of the tray I0, and if desired,

braces such as indicated at I3 may be provided between the upper portions of the rods II and frame members I4 which are extended upwardly from the opposite ends of the tray.

The frame members or arms I4 may be in the form of metal tubes, or of any other sufficiently rigid form, and are welded or otherwise secured at their lower ends to the sides of the tray I0 approximately midway of the width of the tray. A U-shaped handle member I5 comprising side legs I 6-H; and a cross arm portion H has the free ends of its legs Iii-I6 detachably connected to the upper ends of the frame members I l-44. The detachable connection between the ends of the handle member I5 and the upper ends of the frame members I4 may be of any suitable form, one arrangement being illustrated in Fig. '7. As shown in Fig. 7 the lower ends of the handle member sides I6 are each provided with a rod element l8 welded or otherwise secured to the handle; and having a portion I9 projecting beyond the end of each handle side IS. The projecting portions of the rods I8 fit telescopically into the upper end portions of the frame members I4. Suitable detachable fastenings 20'may be employed for holding the handle structure in assembled relation to the frame members.

A bag 21 is seated in the tray I0 and secured in place by means such as straps 22-22 (Fig. 1)

In addition to the sidewalls 2424, the bag 2I comprises an opposite pair of walls 25 and 26, and partitions 21 and 28. The various side walls and partitions are stitched together or otherwise suitably united and they may be made of material such as canvas, leather, or other, I

preferably soft and flexible, material. The bottom portion of the bag may include metal or other reinforcing bottom and lower marginal elements 29 and 38 respectivelyv (Fig. 3). As shown, the bag is preferably of two ply construction and the reinforcing elements are interposed between the inner and outer plies of the structure. The partition 21 'which'extends from one side wall 7 may, if desired, have suitable reinforcements incorporated therein.

The sides 24-24 of the bag are of somewhat tapered form as shown in Fig. 3. At their lower ends they are of such width that the pockets Y formed on opposite sides of the main partition 21 are of a front to back dimension, that is of a dimension from the outer wall 25 or 26 to the main partition 21, which approximates the toe to heel dimension of a golf club when placed in the bag with its shaft approximately aligned with the length of the bag. This relation is indicated in Fig, 3. The sides 24 taper upwardly to slightly reduce the front to back dimension of the pockets and the upper portions of the sides are sharply narrowed to provide restricted entrance openings 32 to the respective pockets.

The entrance openings are restrictedto such an extent that the front to rear dimensions thereof approximate the top to bottom dimension of a golf club head.

The two series of pockets thus formed on opposite sides of the partition 3i have their outer or front walls spaced from their respective back walls (the partition 21), a distance which at the bottoms of the pockets will accommodate the club heads in the inclined position represented in the drawing (Fig. 3), and said front to rear dimension may be tapered sli htly upwardly as shown. At the upper ends of the pockets, the outer or front walls thereof are so formed that they have downwardly converging, neck, and downwardly diverging shoulder portions. The said shoulder portion serves to increase the front to rear dimension of the neck portion to permit downward movement of the club when the shaft is rocked toward its upright position in parallelism with the depth or length of the pockets. The downwardly converging upper end portion provides a flared mouth. which facilitates insertion of the clubs and constitutes an important convenience. As shown, the combined vertical dimension of said converging, neck andshoulder portions comprises a minor portion of the whole depth of the pocket.

The width of each pocket, that is to say the dimension of the pocket between adjacent transverse partitions and between the outermost partitions 28 and the respectively adjacent side walls 24, approximates the normal transverse di- *mension of the golf club head which the pocket- -is designed to receive.

The partitions 28 are in substantially parallel relationship to each other and to the side walls 24 so that they do not vary in their breadth.

The depth or length of the bag is subject to considerable variation but I have found that a bag which is in the neighborhood of i8 inches in length, is very satisfactory.

A golf club may easily and quickly be inserted in the proper pocket of the bag, head first in the manner indicated in Fig. 3. As there shown, a golf club 33 is illustrated in its initial position for insertion into the pocket of the bag. As there shown, the head 34 of the club is passed endwise, toe first, through the restricted mouth or entrance tothe pocket. when the head of the club is inserted to the extent that-the lower endvof the shaft 35' engages the upper end of the-bag,

or shortly prior thereto, the club may be swung upwardly so as to align the length of its shaft 3| with the length of the pocket whereupon the club will freely descend in its pocket and come to rest with the club head in the bottom of the bag as shown.

The entrance openings are preferably made so as to fairly snugly fit the club head in its passage through the mouth portion of the bag so that only a, very limited shifting of the shaft in the mouth portion of the bag will be possible when the club is fully inserted therein. Because of the position of the club in thebag, its weight normally tends to cause the shaft of the club to rest against the main partition 21 as illustrated. Removal of a club from the bag is, of course, accomplished by reverse movement of the club. This arrangement permits the player to initially grasp the handle or grip portion of the desired club so that he immediately has the club in approximately playing position. Similarly, when the player is through with his stroke or shot, it is a most simple and convenient matter to reinsert the club into the bag.

The bottom of the bag may, if desired, be lined with any desired soft, cushioning material which will protect the club head against scratching.

While the player is making his stroke or awaiting his turn, the cart will normally be disposed in an upright position as shown in Fig. 3 wherein it rests at one side on the wheels i2 and, near its opposite side, directly on the ground as indicated at 40. During movement along the course, the cart will normally be tilted about the axles of the wheels i2 and drawn behind the player or his caddy through the agency of the handle part II. The upper end portion of the bag in such inclined or travelling position, is illustrated in Fig. 5.

When the bag is in the inclined position in which it is normally propelled, the club shafts will, of course, tend to rest on the then lowermost portions of their respective pocket walls. To relieve the pockets of excessive strain incident to the weight of the club shafts and to assist in supporting. the clubs from the frame arms it, there is provided a strap H, which may be an endless fabric strap or any other suitable band structure. The band 4! has one reach extended across and secured to the upper portion of the bag wall 25, from whence it extends around the outside of each of the frame arms i4 and across the space between the said frame arms 14. The reach 42 of the band thus approximately coincides or registers with main partition 21 and cooperates therewith to support the clubs in the uppermost set of club pockets when the bag is in tilted position. The strap is freely slidable around the frame arms i4 so that the weight of the clubs in the uppermost set of pockets tends to force the reach 42 of the strap downwardly thereby pulling up on the reach 43 of the strap which is secured to the upper marginal portion of the lowermost wall of the bag. Thus, the weight of the upper clubs tends to counterbalance the weight of the lowermost group of clubs. This counterbalancing arrangement assists in preventing excessive sagging of the upper portion of the bag and relieves the fastenings, by which the bag is secured to the arms l4, of heavy strain. The described strap arrangement also tends to maintain the clubs more nearly in their normally aligned relation to the frame arms i4.. The's'trap 7 4| may be made of sufficiently stout material so 1 that its repiacement'should not be necessary but replacement may, of course,be easily made should it be required.

Suitable pockets such as indicated at 44 and 45 may be provided on the opposite faces of the bag for holding various accessories and equipment such as is carried by golf players.

The handle |5,preferably, has its upper end portion angularly oflset, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, so as to avoid interference with the upper ends of the club shafts and to facilitate indicated at 31 to permit the lower marginal portion of .the hood to be fastened around the upstanding frame members or arms It by means such as a strap and buck1e, snap or slide fasteners or simple tie cords as indicated at 38. If desired, the hood 36 may be provided on its opposite faces with a slide fastener orotherwise suitably closable slit 39 extending betweenpoints closely adjacent the upper and lower ends of the hood. When the hood is provided with suchslits, it may be permitted to remain in place and the slits opened to permit withdrawal and reinsertion of the clubs in rainy weather, thereby assisting materially to keep the grip portions of the clubs dry.

The cart structure disclosed in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, may be employed for supporting and propelling the conventional caddy bag which is approximately twice the length of the improved bag above described. When a conventional ba is to be carried, the improved bag structure is removed from the tray and the conventional bag seated therein between the upstanding arms l4 .to which the bag may be strapped.

To further facilitate the employment of the cart structure for supporting the conventional caddy bag, there may be provided an auxiliary or supplementary handle structure 46- (Fig. 6) which is interchangeable with the handle structure I5.

The auxiliary or replacement handle structure 46, like the handle structure I5 is equipped with suitable pins 41, portions of which are insertable in the hollow upper ends of the side frame arms Id of the main cart structure. Detachable fastenings such as already referred to may be employed for securing the auxiliary handle structure to the arms l4-l4.

The auxiliary handle structure 46 has short free end portions 48 of its side arms arranged to extend in longitudinal alignment with the arms l4-l4 and the major portions of the side arms of the handle structure 46 are angularly offset as clearly shown in Fig. 6. The angularly offset portions 49 are considerably longer than the angularly offset handle portions of the first described handle structure I5 so that the cart may conveniently be propelled at an even more upright position'than is the case with the handle structure shown in Figs. 1 to 3. Such more nearly upright positioning of the cart is particularly desirable when a conventional caddy bag (represented in broken lines at 50 in Fig. 6) is carried, since the clubs are less securely retained in this type of bag. Also, the center of gravity of the top-heavy conventional bag of clubs is placed more nearly in vertical alignment with the wheel axles whereby ease of handling is at- 6 tained. The portions 46-48 of the auxiliary handle structure may be interconnected by means of a suitably bowed metal strap member 5| which may be riveted or otherwise permanently secured to the portions 46. Such bowed strap will constitute a support for the bag 50 and a suitable strap extending from one of the handle portions 48 to the other around the bag in an opposed relation to the strap 5| may be employed to securely hold the bag against the supporting member 5|.

The interchangeable handle arrangement just described is highly advantageous to the manufacturer of golf carts, to golf course operators and to golf players. The manufacturer i required to produce only one type of main cart structure and to supply either or both of the two forms of handles described. This adaptability of the main cart structure greatly facilitates production since the main body of the structure may be standardized for the required volume production. The two types of handle structure are each of such simple form that they present no problem of production or interchangeability. Similar advandimension. As already indicated, the bag may conveniently be of two-ply canvas or other flexible material suitably reenforced or stiffened. One suitable form of construction is more or less diagrammatically illustrated in Figs. 8, 9, and 10.

Asindicated best at Fig. 8, the opposed side walls 25 and '26 and the main partition 21 are formed of strips of selected fabric folded upon themselves as indicated at 55, the folds 55 forming the upper ends of the respective walls and partitions.

The pockets 44 and 45 are stitched as indicated at 56 to the outermost pint or fold of the respective walls 26 and 25. The partition members or dividers 28, either of single or double ply construction are stitched along their outer edges to the respective walls 25 and 26. The stitching, which unites the partitions 28 to the outer walls 25 and 26, extends through edge portions of the partitions and through only the inner ply of the side walls 25 and 26 in the areas thereof which are covered bythe pockets 44,.and 45. Above and below the respective pockets, the stitching preferably extends through both piles of the respective outer side walls, as shown at 51 and 59. However, it will be apparent that, if preferred, the stitching whichunites the outer edges of the partitions 28" to the respectively adjacent outer walls may extend through only the inner piles of said side walls throughout their vertical dimensions.

The inner edges of the transverse partition 28 are secured to the respectively adjacent plies of the two-ply main partition 21 by stitching indicated at 66 and 6|.

The lower marginal reenforcements 30 are preferably enclosed in retaining pockets formed in the respective side walls and a preferred arrangement for housing such reenforcements is shown in Fig. 10. As there shown, the two-ply side wall asaasss 88. To the outer ply 83 there is secured at 84 a horizontally extending fabric strip 85. The strip 85 cooperates with the lower marginal portion of the outer ply 83 to form a pocket for receiving the reenforcement l8. strip 65 may also be secured as indicated at 88 to the outer ply 83. Said lower edge may be additionally or solely secured to the outer ply 88 by means of stitching 81 which also serves to unite the edge of bottom fabrics 88 to the lower edges of the outer side walls. The stitching l1 preferably extends through both plies of the bottom and side walls. It will, of course, be understood that a pocket formation such as just described for housing the lower marginal reenforcement 80 will be formed on each of the four side walls in a similar manner. The reenforcement may be inserted into the pocket through the open lower edge oi the pocket Just before applying the stitching 61 if such stitching is .relied upon to the exclusion of the stitching $6 for closing the bottom of the bag. However, if the stitching 88 is employed, the reenforcement 80 may be inserted endwise into the pocket after the strip 85 is attached at both its top and bottom edges to the wall ply 68.

In the procedure of assembling and forming the bag, it has been found practicable .to first attach the; pockets 44 and 45 to the outer piles of the walls 28 and 25, respectively, then to attach the outer edges of the partitions 28 to atleast the inner plies of the respective outer walls if not to both piles of the respective walls in the portions of those walls which are not covered by the pockets 44 and 45 or the reinforcements 20. It will be advantageously secured to the respectively ad- Jacent plies of the main partition 21. It will be seen that the partition 28a may have its inner edge stitched to the a jacent ply of the partition 21, then the inner edge of the partition 28b and so on, all of the partitions 28 on one side of the main partition 21 being-successively joined to the adjacent ply of the main partition 21. In a similar manner the transverse partitions 28 on the The lower edge of the '8 g structicn may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the following'claims which are directed to the principal features of the improved structure rather than to the readily changeabl details of construction.

Iclaim: v 1. A golf club cart comprising a wheel supported base and a handle extending upwardly other side of the main partition 21 are progressively secured to the adjacent ply of the main partition 21.

The next step is to secure the other pair of side walls 24, 24 to the side edges of the walls 25 and 26 and to the side edges of the main partition 21. The said side walls 24 are advantageously first united by stitching or otherwise as indicated at 89 to the adjacent side edges of the main partition 21 after which the side walls 24 may have their edges united as indicated at 10 to the respectlvely adjacent side edges of the walls 24 and 25.

The bottom of the bag is next put in place, the bottom reenforcement 28 being incorporated in a bottom structure having a marginal portion 1| extending therearound for facilitating the attachment of the bottom to the sides by means of the stitching 61.

Various modifications in the details of con- 28 from said base, a bag carried by the cart for supporting a plurality of golf clubs in two groups separated in the direction in which thecart is rolled on its wheels, said cart being normally inclined to the vertical when being so rolled, and means associated with the upper end portion of said bag and with said handle for causing the clubs in one of said groups to more or less counterbalance those in the other group when the cart is in said inclined position. v

2. A golf club cart comprising a wheel supported base, a pair of arms extending upwardly from the opposite sides of said base. a golf club bag mounted on said base intermediate said upwardly extending arms, said bag comprising four side walls forming a rectangular outer wall structure, a main partition wallextendlng from one of said side walls to the oppositely disposed side wall. a plurality of relatively spaced partitions extending transversely of said main partition in opposite directions therefrom to the other two outer walls, said partitions serving to divide said golf club bag into a plurality-of pockets each adapted to receive a golf club, the upper portion of each of said pockets being of a dimension from their respective outer walls to the main partition which approximates the top to bottom dimension of a golf club head, the lower portions of said pockets having a corresponding dimension approaching the toe to heel dimension of a head, and means associated with the upper end of said bag and with said arms of the cart for causing the clubs in the pockets on one side of said main partition to counterbalance the clubs in the pockets on the other side of said main. partition when said bag is disposed at an angle to the vertical.

3. A golf club cart "comprising a whee supported base, a pair of arms extending upwardly from the opposite sides of said base, a golf club bag mounted on said base intermediate said arms said bag comprising four side walls forming a rectangular outer wall structure, a main partition wall extending from one of said side walls to the oppositely disposed side wall, a plurality of relatively spaced partitions extending transversely of said main partition in opposite direction therefrom to the other two outer walls, said partitions serving to divide said golf club bag into a plurality of pockets each adapted to receive a golf club, the 'upper portions of said pockets being of a. dimension from their respective outer walls to said main partition which approximates the top to bottom dimension of a golf club head, the lower portions of said pockets having a corresponding dimension approaching the toe to heel dimension of a .club head, and a strap associated with the upper end of said golf club bag and having one portion extending from one of said arms to the other approximately in alignment with said main partition of said bag, around 'said arms and around the pockets disposed to one side of said main partition, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. A golf club bag comprising side walls, front and back walls connecting said side walls, and a plurality of relatively spaced dividers generally parallel with said side walls and extending between said front and back walls intermediate said side walls, said dividers and side walls cooperating with said front and back walls to form a plurality of golf club receiving pockets, said has being of such depth that the depth of each of said pockets is a plurality of times its greatest transverse dimension, said dividers being spaced from each other a distance approximating the normal transverse dimension of a golf club head, said front and back walls having upper portions spaced from each other a distance approximating the normal top to bottom dimension of a golf club head and their lower portions spaced a greater distance approximating the toe to heel dimension of the club head, the major portion of the expansion of said front to back dimension being effected in a shallow zone adjacent the upper end of each pocket whereby golf clubs are insertable into said pockets by first inserting the club head endwise, toe first, through said upper end portion of the pocket, then rocking the club to align the shaft thereof with the depth of the pocket, and then moving the club longitudinally downwardly in the pocket, the depth of the pocket being such that the upper and lower portions thereof are reportions of the club to hold the clubs substantially upright in approximately parallel relation. v

5. A golf club bag comprising a pair of side walls, front and rear walls, a partition extending from one of said side walls to the other, a plurality of dividers extending from each side of said partition to said front and rear walls respectively, said walls, partition and dividers cooperating to form a plurality of pockets each of which is adapted to receive a golf club, said pockets having lower portions of such transverse dimensions as to be adapted to accommodate the heads of the golf clubs when they are in inclined positions incident to normal vertical positions of the club shafts, and shallow upper end portions of such reduced dimension transversely of said partition as to necessitate insertion of the club heads toe first into the pockets with the shafts extending upwardly at an inclination and subsequent swinging of the club shaftsupwardly toward the plane of said partion to permit the clubs to drop to the bottoms of the pockets, the depth of the bag being such as to cause said shallow upper pocket portions to cooperate with said lower portions to hold the clubs with their shafts substantially upright in approximately parallel relation.

6. A golf club bag comprising four side walls forming a rectangular outer wall structure, a main partition extending from one of said side walls to the oppositely disposed side wall, a plurality of relatively spaced dividers extending transversely of said main partition in opposite directions therefrom to the other two outer walls, an accessory pocket on the outside of one of said other outer walls, and means for reinforcing the lower marginal portions of the bag sides, said main partition and said accessory pocket bearing wall embodying sheet members folded upon themselves to provide inner and outer wall plies and a pair of main partition plies, said accessory pocket being secured only to the outer ply of said accessory pocket bearing wall, the transversely extending dividers being respectively secured at their'inner edges, only to the respectively adjacent plies of said main partition, the outer edges of said dividers being secured to the respectively adjacent outer walls, the dividers between said partition and said accessory pocket bearing wall being secured in the area of said pocket to only the inner ply of said wall, and a fabric strip secured to the lower marginal portion of the outer ply of said wall on the inside thereof for cooperating with said outer ply to form a pocket for receiving said reinforcing member.

7. A golf club bag comprising side walls, front and back walls connecting said side walls, and a plurality of relatively spaced dividers generally parallel with said side walls and extending.

between said front and back walls intermediate said side walls, said dividers and side walls cooperating with said front and back walls to form a plurality of golf club receiving pockets, said dividers being spaced from each other a distance approximating the normal transverse dimension of a golf club head, said front and back walls having upper portions arranged in downwardly converging relationship to provide a flared entrance, neck portions spaced from each other a distance approximating the normal top to bottom dimension of a golf club head, and shoulder portions diverging downwardly to enlarge the front to back dimensions of the pockets to permit golf clubs to be moved downwardly in the pockets, said converging neck and shoulder portions together comprising a minor portion of the whole depth of the pockets whereby golf clubs are insertable into said pockets by first inserting the club head endwise, toe first, through said upper end portion of the pocket, then rocking the club to align the shaft thereof with the depth of the pocket, and then moving the club longitudinally downwardly in the pocket, the depth of the pocket being such that the upper and lower portions thereof are respectively operative to engage the shaft and head portions of the club to hold the clubs substantially upright REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,042,193 Bowling Oct. 22, 1912 1,359,261 Lindberg Nov. 16, 1920 1,442,906 Rawlings et al. Jan. 23, 1923 1,581,061 Johnston Apr. 13, 1926 1,612,741 Newman-Butler Dec. 28, 1926 1,676,592 White July 10,1928 1,751,902 Brown Mar. 25, 1930 1,809,536 Tucker June 9, 1931 1,890,362 Bellow Dec. 6, 1932 1,951,158 Locke et a1 Mar. 13, 1934 2,009,072 Sampson July 23, 1935 2,073,114 Martin et a1. Mar. 9, 1937 2,262,298 Proctor Nov. 11, 1941 2,367,234 Mitchell Jan. 16, 1945 2,368,752 Duis Feb. 6, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 203,222 Great Britain Sept. 6, 1923 333,282

Great Britain Aug. 8, 1930

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