US2720336A - Golf ball dispensing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Oct. .11, 1955 M. KOSAR GOLF BALL DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed March 24, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

MICHAEL K084i? CUMMJ A TTOR/VEYS Oct. 11, 1955 M. KOSAR 2,720,336

GOLF-BALL DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed March 24, 1950 \x INVENTOR.

M/CHAE L KOSAR A TTORNEYS United States Patent GOLF BALL DISPENSING APPARATUS Michael Kosar, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio Application March 24, 1950, Serial No. 151,560

Claims. (Cl. 221-91) This invention relates to apparatus for dispensing golf balls, and, more particularly, is concerned with apparatus of this type for use in conjunction with golf driving ranges or practice tees.

Heretofore it has been the usual practice, in the operation of a golf driving range, for a customer to purchase a basket or bucket of balls at a central office, and then the customer will walk down along the various driving tees until he has found a tee which is not being used and is to his liking. Then he will proceed to drive the golf balls from the driving tee, using any or all clubs which he has brought along with him or which he has rented from the driving range otfice. Many times when his first bucket of balls has been used up, the customer will want to drive additional balls and he must then walk back to the centrally positioned office and buy another bucket, which proceeding may take considerable time, especially if the driving range attendant is busy with other customers. In addition, it is difficult for the driving range manager or owner to provide any accurate check on the number of buckets of golf balls which have been sold at the driving range, and in the absence of the owner or manager, various opportunities exist for the attendant to sell buckets of balls and pocket the money received therefrom without properly accounting for the same. Additionally, the buckets of golf balls are often not very attractive and tend to clutter up the central office, particularly in anticipation of heavy rush periods.

It has been proposed heretofore to vend various items such as marbles or round, ball-shaped chewing gum from automatic or semi-automatic mechanisms, but so far as I have been able to determine, no apparatus is available on the market today which will automatically or semi-automatically vend golf balls in driving range quantities. Known mechanisms for vending products of the indicated type are usually concerned with the dispensing of a single item, and the mechanisms are not readily adapted, either in principle or construction, to the simultaneous vending or a considerable plurality of round objects, such as golf balls.

It is the general object of my invention to avoid and overcome the foregoing and other difficulties or and objections to known practices and equipment by the provision of a coin-controlled customer-operated dispensing apparatus adapted to quickly and substantially automatically deliver to a customer a bucket of golf balls for use at a driving range.

Another object of my invention is the provision of improved, relatively inexpensive, but sturdy andlong-lived and substantially fool-proof apparatus which will deliver to a customer a considerable plurality of golf balls upon his operation of the apparatus by or with theassistance of a suitable coin.

Another object of my invention is to provide apparatus of the character described which is readily refilled with golf balls, and with the balls being visible to the customer.

Another object of my invention is to provide apparatus of comparatively small size and weight and of semi-portable and entirely self-contained character whereby the apparatus can be positioned at spaced points along the tees of a driving range to facilitate and encourage the purchasing of additional balls in a minimum of time and with a minimum of effort.

The foregoing objects of my invention and other objects which will become apparent as the description proceeds, are achieved by the provision of an apparatus ineluding a plurality of tubes, each tube being adapted to removably receive a selected number of golf balls, for example, twenty-five. The tubes are removably associated with a casing, and usually extend upwardly therefrom in circumferentially spaced relation around the casing, and with a head being mounted for movement to and from the casing and to and from engagement with the upper ends of the tubes to lock or release the tubes with respect to the casing. Associated with the casing is a rotary member having an opening which is adapted to be brought in turn into alignment with the bottom of each tube, the arcuate movement of the rotary member being coin-controlled or released, and with associated stop means for insuring the alignment of the rotary means opening with each tube. When the opening in the rotary member is brought into alignment with a particular tube, the golf balls carried in the tube are free to move out of the tube through the opening and out of the casing into a basket positioned beneath the casing. The coin control means has appropriate counter mechanism associated therewith whereby an accurate record is kept of the number of golf ball sales.

Having reference to the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partially broken away, of a typical apparatus incorporating the principles of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view, on an enlarged scale, and taken substantially on line IIII of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view, partially in section, of the upper portion of the apparatus of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical cross-sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of the casing portion of the apparatus;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal cross-sectional view, on the same scale as Fig. 4, and taken substantially on line V-V of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the locking and aligning means of the invention, and is taken substantially on line VI--VI of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken substantially on line VII-VII of Fig. 5 and illustrating details of the indexing mechanism,

The embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawings includes a vertically positioned post 10 which is suitably supported, as by a base or pedestal 12. Positioned 0n the post 10 at about waist height to the average customer is a casing 14 of hollow, substantially cylindrical shape. The top 16 of the casing 14 is formed with a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings 18 (see Fig. 4), each of which is adapted to removably receive a collar 20 formed on or secured to the lower end of a tube 22. The tubes 22 extend upwardly in the manner best seen in Figures 1 and 3 and are adapted to be releasably engaged by a head 24 secured to a plug 26 which is slidably received in the upper end of the post 10. The plug 26 and its associated head 24 are adapted to be moved up or down by a rod 28 secured to theplug, the lower end of the rod being pivotally secured at 30 to a lever 32 which is pivoted at 34 to a bracket 36 carried on the post 10. Both the lever 32 and the bracket 36 are provided with aligned apertures 38 so that an ordinary padlock 39 can be inserted through these apertures to lock the lever 32 and the head 24 in the full line position shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. At this time, the upper ends of the tubes 22 are gripped by appro- V priate circular openings in a plate 40 carried by the downwardly flanged periphery of the head 24. When it is desired to release the tubes 22 from the head 24, the padlock 39 is removed from the holes 38 and a pipe or'other member 42 having a flattened or socket end fitting over the lever 32 is slid over the lever so that the lever can be tilted about its pivot 34 to raise rod 28, plug 26, and head 24 up to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 3, thereby releasing the upper ends of the tubes 22 so .that any or all of the tubes can be removed from association with the casing 14.

The positioning and alignment of the tubes 22 in the association described is facilitated by means of a positioning plate 44 (see Figures 1 and 2) carried by the post 10 substantially midway between the casing 14 and the head 24. The plate 44 is provided with a plurality of circumferentiall-y spaced semi-circular openings 46, each one of which is adapted to receive and position one of the tubes 22.

Each tube 22 -is most conveniently made from aluminum and is formed with a slot 48 so that balls, such as golf balls 50, can be contained in stacked relation in the tube and are visible through the slot. Of course, it may be possible to make the tubes 22 from clear plastic to add further sales appeal to the apparatus. In any event, the upper ends of the tubes 22 are closed, as by bent-over flanges 52, best seen in Fig. 3. The lower end of each tube 22 is provided with a finger 54 pivotally mounted in a slot 56 formed in the collar 20. These fingers 54 have their lower ends normally urged radially inward through the slots 56 by springs 54a secured to the tubes 22 and forcing the upper ends of the fingers radially outward. Each finger is pivotally mounted to a collar by a hinge pin 54b. Normally the finger 54 moves to or is positioned at the dotted line showing in Fig. 4 so as to close the lower end of the tube 22 when the tube is out of the casing 14 and a series of balls are contained in the tube. However, when the tube 22 is positioned in the hole 18 in the casing 14, then the upper end of the finger -54 strikes a shoulder 16a at the side of the hole 18 in the casing top 16 and is moved to the full-line position of Fig. 4 so that the balls contained in the tube are free to drop downwardly from the tube under the control of a circular plate 58 mounted in the casing 14 immediately below the top 16 of the casing. The balls 50 in a given tube 22 can only drop into the casing 14 with the tube 22 in position on casing 14 when a circular hole 60 in the plate 58 is in alignment with the particular tube.

More particularly, the circular plate 58 is rotatably carried on a flange 62 formed in association with a bracket 64 fastened to a length 66 of tubing which in turn is secured as at 68 to the post 10. The bracket 64 includes a stationary arm 70 which extends out through one side of the casing 14 to support a substantially conventional coin control box 72. The coin control box 72 includes a coin-receiving slot 74 and is of the type so that when a coin, for example .a quarter, is accepted, then a shaft 76 in the coin box can he moved through a control arc by a control lever 78 on the front of the coin box. The shaft 76, as best seen in Figures 4, 5, and 7, has secured to its end inside the casing 14 an arm 80 to which is pivotally fastened, as at 82, a dog 84. As best shown in Fig. 5, the dog 84 is mounted pivotally in the manner described in a bifurcated portion of the arm 80. As shown in Fig. 7, the dog 84 normally rests down against a stop 86 so that when the shaft 76 is rotated in a clockwise direction as seen in Fig. 7, through an are slightly greater than ninety degrees, the .dog will engage with a post 88 in its path on the bottom of the circular plate 58 to move the plate 58 and opening 60 in the plate into alignment with the next tube 22 carried by the casing 14. This action is achieved in the movement of the arm 80 and dog 84 from the full line position shown in Figure '7 to the chain-dotted line position shown. In the return counter-clockwise movement of the shaft 76, arm 80 and dog 84 (as occasioned by spring mechanism associated with the shaft 76 inside the coin control box 72 and normally urging the shaft 76 to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction as seen in Fig. 7), the dog 84 will strike against the side of the following post 88, or against an inclined side 90 formed on the post with the dog 84 tilting about its pivot 82 freely and away from the stop 86 to allow the counter-clockwise return movement of the shaft 76, arm 80, and dog 84 without rotation of plate 58 to the full-line position of Fig. 7. It will be understood that a plurality of the posts 88 are provided in circumferentially spaced position around the plate 58. Fig. 5 illustrates the positioning of the posts 88 circumferentially of the plate 58. In the fully returned full line position of arm 80, dog 84 will drop to the full-line position shown in Fig. 7 under gravitational force and inertia of the return rotation of shaft 76.

Mechanism is provided in association with the plate 58 and the shaft 76 for insuring the proper alignment of the opening 60 with each tube 22 in turn, and this mechanism, as best seen in Fig. 6, includes a series of stops '92 spaced circumferentially of the circular plate 58 near the outer periphery thereof, as again shown in Fig. 5. Mounted on the stationary arm '70 is a narrow, upstanding bearing block 94 having a window 96 therein through which extends the shaft 76, the shaft mounting an eccentric 98 in the Window which engages with a plunger 100 normally urged downwardly against the eccentric 98 by a compression spring 102. The plunger 1'00 normally engages with the low point of the eccentric 98 so that the plunger does not prevent movement of the circular plate 58 under the action of the arm and dog 84 until such time as the stop 92 has moved past the plunger 100. However, when this has occurred, the plunger is beginning to ride up on the higher point of the eccentric'98 so that the plunger is engaged by the next circumferentially spaced stop 92 when the arm 80 and dog 84 are in the chain-dotted line position shown .in Fig. 7 to thereby prevent the circular plate 58 from moving too far, and in order to insure alignment of the opening 60 in the circular plate 58 with the bottom of the nexttube 22.

When the opening 60 in the plate 58 is brought into alignment with the next tube .22, the balls 50 therein fall into the casing 14. The bottom 106 of the casing is formed on an incline and terminates in a funnel shape discharge opening 108 positioned above a basket or bucket 110 which may be carried on a bracket 112 fastened to the post 10.

In the operation of the apparatus, it will be understood that the head 24 is raised by the operation of lever 32 so that a plurality of the tubes 22, each with a full complement of balls, can be positioned with the lower ends of the tubes in the casing 14, whereupon the head 24 is lowered and locked in place to secure the tubes in position. Then a customer Wishing to buy, say, a quarters worth of golf balls, will deposit a quarter in the coin control 72 which permits the lever 78 to be moved slightly greater than ninety degrees. The movement of the lever 78 rocks the shaft 76 to cause the dog 84 to engage with a post 88 to advance the circular plate 58 to bring the opening 60 in alignment with the bottom of a tube 22. The rotating of the shaft 76 through an arc of slightly greater than ninety degrees also causes the eccentric 98 on the shaft to raise the plunger 100 upwardly so that a stop 92 engages with the plunger to insure accurate alignment of the opening 60 with .the tube 22. .At this time, the balls 50 fall out of the tube 22, flow through the easing 14, out the discharge opening 108 into the basket 110 which the customer will then take to the driving tee. The spring associated with the shaft 76 in the coin control mechanism 72 will then return the shaft 76 and operating lever 78 to the original position and the apparatus will be ready for the next vending operation. A counter mechanism is usually associated with the vending mechanism 72 and is tied in by a link 122 to shaft 76 so that each sale of golf balls can be appropriately re corded. When all of the ballsare sold from the tubes 22,

. a new set of tubes will be placed in the apparatus, or the tubes in the apparatus will be refilled with golf balls.

In reloading the apparatus with new golf ball filled tubes, in order to prevent the golf balls from falling out of the tube which is placed in the opening 18 in the top of the casing which is last in alignment with the opening 60 of the rotary plate 58, the operator reaches his finger in through the hole 18 and moves the circular opening 60 and the plate 58 an inch or so in either direction so that the opening 60 is no longer in alignment with the hole 18. This movement is made possible because the spring-positioned plunger 100 is out of the way. The repositioning of the plate 58 does not prevent the arm 80 and dog 84 from engaging with the post 88 and bringing the opening 60 into alignment with the tube 22 when the coin mechanism 72, lever 78, and shaft 76 are next operated.

From the foregoing, it will be recognized that the various objects of my invention have been achieved by the provision of self-contained, durable and long-lived apparatus of relatively inexpensive and easily operated and maintained character, and which is readily serviced to replenish the supply of golf balls. An apparatus embodying the invention can be positioned at spaced points along a line of driving tees and will greatly improve golf ball sales to customers. Stealing of the golf balls or of money for a golf ball sale is substantially eliminated, and the apparatus is attractive and adds sales appeal to the driving range.

While in accord with the patent statutes I have specifically illustrated and described one best known embodiment of my invention, it is to be particularly understood that I am not to be limited thereto or thereby, but that the scope of my invention is defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for dispensing simultaneously a plurality of golf balls or the like including a hollow casing, a plurality of tubes directed upwardly from the casing and removable therefrom to facilitate filling of the tubes, each tube being adapted to contain a plurality of golf balls for delivery to said casing of all the balls in a tube upon single operation of a coin controlled release mechanism, a discharge chute on said casing, each tube having a latch for retaining the balls therein when the tube is removed from the casing, means on said casing engageable with said latch when said tube is mounted on said casing for engaging said latch to permit release of the balls, means releasably locking the tubes in the casing, a plate rotatably associated with the casing and having an opening adapted to be aligned in turn with each tube carried by the casing, coin released lever means for moving the opening in the plate into alignment with the next tube and including a dog pivotally carried by a shaft controlled by the lever means, a plurality of posts secured to said plate, said dog engaging a post to advance said plate, and stop means for insuring the alignment of the opening with the tube.

2. Apparatus for dispensing golf balls and the like including a hollow casing, a head, a post positioning the head on the casing, means extending through the post for mounting the head for movement to and from the casing, means for positively effecting said movement a plurality of tubes adapted to be removably gripped between the head and casing, each tube adapted to contain a plurality of golf balls, means for locking the head in the tubegripping position, control means associated with the casing and extending therefrom to vary the relation of the tubes and casing for connecting the inside of the casing in turn with each tube, coin controlled means for releasing and locking said control means and a discharge spout connected to the inside of the casing for delivering the balls from inside the casing to a bucket positioned below the casing.

3. Apparatus for dispensing golf balls and the like including a hollow casing, a head, a post positioning the head on the casing, means extending through the post for mounting the head for movement to and from the casing, means for positively effecting said movement, a plurality of tubes adapted to be removably gripped between the head and casing, each tube adapted to contain a plurality of golf balls, means for locking the head in tubegripping position, and controllable means associated with the casing for varying its action and connecting the inside of the casing in turn with each tube, said controllable means including a coin-release mechanism.

4. Golf ball dispensing apparatus comprising a dispensing base member, said base member having a discharge chute, a top member, a support column extending between said base and top members, a plurality of golf ball receiving tubes carried by said base member and secured thereagainst by said top member, said top member being longitudinally adjustably carried by said support column, and means carried by a lower portion of the ap paratus and connected to said top member for moving said top member upwardly and releasing said golf ball receiving tubes.

5. Golf ball dispensing apparatus comprising a base member having a dispensing chute, a top member, a tubular support column extending between said base and top members, a plurality of golf ball receiving tubes removably carried by said base member and secured thereagainst by said top member, means slidably connecting said top member to said support column, and link and lever means carried by said support column and connected to said top member for moving said top member to and from engagement with said golf ball receiving tubes.

6. Apparatus for dispensing golf balls from a tube including a vertical post, a hollow substantially cylindrical casing secured to the post, the bottom of the casing slanting into a funnel discharge opening and the top thereof having circumferentially spaced] openings therethrough, pivotal finger means for normally obstructing the lower end of a golf ball receiving and positioning tube received in the apparatus, a head slidably mounted on the upper end of the post, means associated with the top of casing for moving the finger means out of the way when the lower end of a said tube is inserted in the casing opening, said means including a shoulder adjacent each of said openings for deflecting said finger means, means operating through the post for moving the head downwardly to engage the upper end of one of said tubes when positioned by the apparatus and lock it in place in the casing openings, a circular plate rotatably mounted on said post inside the casing below the openings in the casing top and having a passage therethrough adapted to be aligned selectively with said openings of the casing, coin released lever means for moving the plate through an arc to bring the passage through the plate into alignment in turn with each opening through the casing top to allow golf balls in a said tube to flow through the funnel discharge opening, and means controlled by the lever means for stopping the arcuate movement of the plate when the plate is in opening aligning position.

7. Apparatus for dispensing golf balls including a vertical post, a hollow substantially cylindrical casing secured to the post, the bottom of the casing slanting into a funnel discharge opening and the top thereof having circumferentially spaced openings therethrough for receiving a plurality of removable tubes for mounting vertically in said openings, a column of golf balls being adapted to be stored in each tube, a head slidably mounted on the upper end of the post, means operating through the post for moving the head downwardly to engage the upper ends of any tubes positioned in the apparatus and lock them in place in the casing openings, a circular plate rotatably mounted on post inside the casing below the openings in the casing top and having a passage therethrough adapted to be aligned selectively with said openings of the casing, coin released lever means for moving the plate through an arc to bring said passage through theplate into alignment in turn with each opening through the casing top to allow golf balls in any said tubes engaged with the apparatus to flow through the funnel discharge opening, and means .controlled by the lever means for stopping the arcuate movement of the plate when in opening aligning position.

8. Apparatus for dispensing golf balls including a vertical post, a hollow substantially cylindrical casing secured to the post, the .bottom of the casing slanting into a funnel discharge opening and the top thereof having circumferentially spaced openings therethrough, the apparatus being adapted to position a plurality of removable tubes each receiving a column of golf balls therein, a head slidably mounted on the upper end of the post, means for moving the head downwardly to engage the upper ends of any tubes positioned by the apparatus and lock them in place in the casing openings, a circular plate rotatably mounted inside the casing below the openings in the casing top and having a passage therethrough adapted to be aligned selectively with said openings of the casing, coin control means for moving the plate through an arc to bring said passage through the plate into alignment in turn with each opening through the casing top to allow the golf balls from a said tube in the apparatus to flow through the funnel discharge opening.

9. Apparatus for dispensing golf balls including a vertical post, a hollow substantially cylindrical casing secured to the post, the bottom of the casing slanting into a funnel discharge opening and the top thereof having c'ircumferentially spaced openings therethrough, a plurality of removable tubes individually engaging said openings and extending upwardly from a column of golf balls being adapted to be stored in each tube, a head slidabl-y mounted on the upper end of the post for engaging ,said tubes to secure them in the apparatus, means for moving the head downwardly to engage the upper ends of said tubes and lock them in place in the casing openings, a circular plate rotatably mounted inside the casing below the openings in the casing top and having only one passage therethrough adapted to be aligned selectively with any one of said openings of the casing, coin released lever means for moving the plate through an arc to bring said passage through the plate into alignment in turn with each opening through the casing top to allow the golf balls from each said tube to flow through the funnel discharge opening, and means controlled by the lever means for stopping the arcuate movement of the plate when opening aligning position.

10. Apparatus for dispensing golf balls including a vertical post, a hollow substantially cylindrical casing secured to the post, the bottom of the casing slanting into a funnel discharge opening and the top thereof having ci-rcumferentially spaced openings therethrough, a plurality of removable tubes for mounting vertically in said openings and extending upwardly therefrom, pivotal finger means carried by said tubes and normally obstructing the lower end of the tube, a column of golf balls being adapted to be stored in each tube, a head slidably mounted on the upper end .of the post and having tube engaging apertures therein, means associated with the top of said casing for moving the finger means out of the way when the lower end of the tube is inserted in the casing opening, means operating through the post for moving the head downwardly to engage the upper ends of the said tubes and lock them 'in place in the casing openings, a plate rotatably mounted on said post inside the casing below the openings in the casing top and having a passage therethrough adapted to be aligned selectively with said openings of the casing, coin released lever means for moving the plate through an arc to bring, the passage through the plate into alignment in turn with each opening through the casing top to allow the golf balls from each tube to flow through the funnel discharge opening, and means controlled 'by the lever means for stopping the arcuate movement of the plate when the plate is in opening aligning position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 424,591 Batdorf Apr. 1, 1890 427,005 Olmsted Apr. 29, 1890 523,826 Young July 31, 1894 909,184 'Hepton Jan. 12, 1909 1,044,591 Stoeker Nov. 19, 1912 1,151,532 Philippsen Aug. 24, 1915 1,637,549 Chandler Aug. 2, 1927 1,705,936 Mass'ie Mar. 19, 1929 1,717,025 Green June 11, 1929

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