US3172585A

US3172585A - Golf club carrier

Info

Publication number: US3172585A
Application number: US286619A
Authority: US
Inventors: Joseph T Mahaney; Carroll S Baber
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1963-06-10
Filing date: 1963-06-10
Publication date: 1965-03-09
Anticipated expiration: 1982-03-09

Description

March 9, 1965 J. r. MAHANEY ETAL 3,172,535

GOLF CLUB CARRIER Filed June l0, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 nmumnrpnnnr nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn rv' /NvfNv-ons: JOSEPH T. MAHA/vfg CARROLL 5. BABE/e,

March 9, 1965 J. T. MAHANl-:Y ETAI. 3,172,585

GOLF CLUB CARRIER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 10 CHPROLL 5. 5,4551?, Liv/27W #Troia/EVS United States Patent() 3,172,585 GOLF CLUB CARRIER Joseph T. Mahaney, S059 Teasdale Ave., St. Louis, Mo., and Carroll S. Babar, 2 N. Duchesne, Florissant, Mo. Filed June 10, 1963, Ser. No. 286,619 3 Claims. (Cl. 224-45) This invention relates to a golf club carrier that can be made to carry as few or as many golf clubs as desired, that is extremely light in weight and easy to carry and that has pivotally mounted legs to support the carrier in upright position, the legs being movable away from interference with the convenient transportability of the carrier.

Many carriers for golf clubs have been used ranging from persons acting as Caddies to various mechanical devices. The services of Caddies are expensive as is the use of power operated golf carts. Various attempts have been made to devise less expensive golf club carriers including carts that are pulled behind the golfer and some portable carriers. None of these prior efforts have vbeen satisfactory vfrom the combined standpoint of low cost, low weight, and convenience of use. l

In general, this golf club carrier comprises a central supporting shaft having a plurality of radial clamps for releasably receiving the lshaft of a plurality of golf clubs. A cup is supported adjacent one end of the shaft and the handles of all the clubs are received in the cup to protect them from moisture. A handle and a pair of legs are connected to the shaft. The legs are pivotally mounted toswing between positions generally parallel to the shaft and projecting outwardly from .the shaft. When the legs are in the latter position they cooperate with the shaft to provide a tripod stand for the carrier, allowing selected golf clubs to be used at any time. When the legs pivot to their position generally parallel to the shaft, they do not interfere with transportation of the carrier.

A convenient tube is connected to the upper end of the shaft Vfor holding golf balls. This tube yalso keeps the heads of the clubs separated. The tube has a removable cartridge for providing ready access to the golf balls and for supporting a lid to keep water out of the tube.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a portable golf club carrier of inexpensive and lightprovide a golf club carrier having a central supporting shaft with radially disposed clamps to releasably hold a plurality of golf clubs, with a convenient handle for transporting the carrier, and with pivotally mounted legs for supporting the `carrier in a generally upright position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a portable golf club carrier having a transport handle and pivotal legs with a locking mechanism located adjacent the transporting handle for controlling the position of the pivotal legs.

` Yet another object of the invention is to provide a portable golf club carrier having clamp means to support a plurality of golf clubs and having a cup for protecting the handles of the golf clubs against ground moisture.

Still another object of the invention -is to provide la portable golf club carrier having clamps for releasably carrying a plurality of golf clubs and having legs for supporting the carrier in a generally upright condition, together with an easily accessible golf ball carrier.

Another object of the invention is to provide a lightweight golf club carrier that is made of inexpensive materials of such easy assembly that the carrier may be sold in kit form for assembly by the purchaser.

Patented Mar. 9, 1965 In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation view of the golf club carrier with the carrier reclined on its side;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation view of the golf club carrier with the carrier reclined on its back;

FIGURE 3 yis an enlarged View in section taken along the line 3-3 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 4 is a view in section taken along the lin 4 4 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a top plan of the carrier;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged view in section taken along the line 6 6 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 7 is a side elevation view of the golf club carrier supported in'a standing position;

FIGURE 8 is a view in section taken along the line 8 8 of FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary side View in section on an enlarged scale of the bottom end of the carrier;

FIGURE 10 is a side elevation view on an enlarged scale of a cartridge for holding golf balls; and

FIGURE 11 is an enlarged view partly in section of a leg and its connection to a brace.

Referring now to the drawings, this carrier 10 comprises a central supporting shaft 11 having a head 12 at one end (see FIGURE 3). The shaft 11 has threads 13 extending from the head 12 to the opposite end 14.

A tube 15, preferably of cylindrical shape, having an open top 16 and a bottom wall 17 with a hole 18 through it, is mounted on the shaft 11. The bottom wall 17 rests against the head 12 of the shaft, and a nut 19, threaded onto the shaft 11 locks the tube 15 in place.

There is a handle assembly 20 comprising a hollow aluminum tube 21 extending parallel to the shaft 11. The upper end of the tube 21 is flattened to provide aconnecting arm 22.

The upper arm 22 is mounted on the shaft 11 betwee the

nuts

19 and 24 threaded onto the shaft. l

A pair of clampiassemblies 25 are threaded onto the shaft 11 in positions spaced from one another, as illustrated in FIGURE 3. These clamp assemblies 25, which will be described in greater detail hereinafter, are each locked in place by a pair of

nuts

26 and 27.

A flat handle bracket 28 is mounted on the shaft 11 and locked in place by a pair of nuts 29 tightened against opposite sides of the plate 28. The lower end 30 of the tubular handle 21 is flattened, Iand the outer end 31 of the bracket 28 is bent in a flange. The end 30 of the handle 'is fastened to the end 31 of the bracket 28 by a 4bolt 32.

A metal cup 33 is positioned at the lower end of the shaft 11 and held in place by a pair of

plates

34 and 35 against which a pair of nuts 36 are tightened. If desired, a metal strip 37 having a hole 38 through it for receiving an end of a shoulder strap (not shown) may also be locked onto the shaft 11 with the cup 33. The cup 33 may be made of plastic or other material instead of metal. v

A straight plate 41 having downwardly bent

sides 0r flanges

42 and 43 is fastened to the handle arm 22 by a pair of bolts 44. v The

sides

42 and 43 are also bent to diverge toward the front of the carrier, or toward the tube 15, as shown in FIGURE 5. There may be a reinforcing backup plate 45 between the plate 41 and the handle arm 22. An L-shaped bracket 46 is also fastened to the plate 41 by the bolts 44. A pair of

legs

50 and 51 are formed of aluminum rods. The upper ends of these

legs

50 and 51 are flattened as at 52 and 53 or may be fastened to flat disks. A pair of shoulder bolts or

rivets

54 and 55 provide a pivotal attachment of

fthe legs

50 and 51. Shorter rod sections 56` and 57 extend from the

pivots

54 and 55 a-t the obtuse angle with the

legs

50 and 51. The

rods

56 and 57 have shoulders 58 near their upper ends, and the upper ends 60 and 61, above the shoulders 58 are attened.

The flattened ends 69 and 61 of the rods 56 and 5'7 tit Within the

slots

62 and 63 in a brace bar 64. The

slots

62 and 63 are larger than the attened ends 6G and 61 to permit the

rods

56 and 57 to slide and turn slightly relative to the brace bar 64. A pair of

plates

65 and 66 are fitted on the opposite sides of each

slot

62 and 63 to provide slidable bearing surfaces, and a Wire key 67 through each

rod end

60 and 61 locks the brace bar 64 in plate. The

plates

65 and 66 are thus held in place by the keys 67 and the shoulders 5S.

The legs 50 and 51-can be pivoted about the

flanges

42 and 43 of the cross plate 41. A lever assembly 79 controls this pivotal action and also provides a lock to hold the legs in retracted positions, as will appear. The lever assembly 70 comprises an'arm 71, one end of which shoulder bolt 72. A loop 73 or other convenient handle Yis pivotally attached to the free end of the arm 71 by another shoulder bolt 74.

At a point about a third ofthe length of the arm 71 from the pivot end 72, another arm 75 is pivotally fastened to the arm 71 by a shoulder bolt 76. A lug 77 is fixed to the center of the brace bar 64, and the other end of the arm 75 is pivotally attached to the lug 77 by a shoulder bolt 7 8.

Turning now to the clamp assemblies 25as shown in FiGURE 6, each clamp assembly comprises a central block 79 having a plurality of flat sides 86, depending upon the number of clubs to be supported by the carrier. A spring metal clamp 81 is fastened to each flat side 80 by a screw 82. Each clamp 81 has a pair of sides S3 between which the shaft of a golf club may be received. The clamps 81 are of conventional design and are commercially available.

Finally, the tube 15 has an insert cartridge 85 to provide a holder for goif balls 86. The cartridge is shown in FIGURE 10. `It comprises three spring metal strips 87, 88 and 89 Welded or bolted at their bottoms to .a circular plate 96 and at their tops to another circular plate 91. The plate 91 extends beyond the outer extremes of the spring metal strips 87, 8S and 89 and has a loop handle 92 welded to its upper surface.

The cartridge 85 ts into the tube 15 as shown particularly in FIGURE 3. When the cartridge S is removed, a golf ball 86 can be removed by pulling on it and spreading the spring strips 87 and 88 or 87 yand 89. Normally these strips are closer together than the diameter of a golf ball and the golf balls will not fall out of the cartridge. However, when the cartridge S5 is in the tube 15, the spring strips 87 yieldably bear against the inner Wall of the tube 15 to hold the cartridge 85 in place.

In use, this carrier 19 is extremely light in weight. All of its parts are preferably made of aluminum. It may be used to transport any desired number of gol-f clubs, shown in broken lines and designated GC in the drawings. To lock these golf clubs to the carrier, their handles are first inserted into the cup 32 and then the shafts of the clubs are snapped into the aligned clamps 80 on the two clamp assemblies 25. In the golf club carrier illustrated, there are eight such clampsS() on each clamp assembly 25. When the golf clubs are in place, the heads of the clubs are kept separated by the tube 15.

To carry golf balls 86, -the golf ball cartridge 85 is removed from the tube 15, vand the ygolf balls are pressed between a pair of the spring metal strips 37, 88 and 89. Then the cartridge 85 is replaced. The spring strips 87 press against the side of the tube 15 to hold the cartridge in place. The cap 91 keepszwater out of the tube 15.

When the carrier 10 is in its standing position as illustrated in FIGURE 7, the

legs

50 and 51 and the cup 33 act as a tripod to hold the carrier erect. The golf clubs and golf balls may be readily taken from the carrier to 4 be used to play the game of golf. The clubs and/or golf balls are easily put back in place on the carrier.

The carrier is transported by grasping its handle 21. if desired, the handle mayhave a cork or rubber grip cover 95. When the carrier is lifted above the ground, a forward push on the lever 71 by grasping the loop 73 will pivot the legs 5t) and 51 about the

pins

54 and 55 toward positions of general alignment with the shaft 11. (See FIGURE 2). Thus, the lever 71 pivots about the L-shaped bracket and draws the lever with it. The lever 75 pulls the brace bar 64 to pivot the legs.

When the arm 71 is pushed down against the handle arm 22, as shown in FIGURE 3, the other arm 75 is rotated below the bolt 72. This locks the legs in the retracted position illustrated in FIGURE 2 because a positive external force must be applied to pivot the lever 71 to re-extend the legs. When the legs are retracted, they are free from interference with transportation of the carrier 10.

To set the carrier upright on the ground again, it is only necessary to pivot the lever 71 upwardly and away from the tube 15. This pivots the lever 75 to push the brace bar 64 downwardly and pivot the legs about the bolts ,54 and 55. Then, when the carrier is rested on the ground, the Weight of the carrier holds the legs in the extended positions.

Since the

flanges

42 and 43, to which the legs are attached, diverge toward the front of the carrier, the divergence of the legs changes with the pivotal position of the legs. When the legs are extended to support the carrier as shown in FIGURE 7, the legs diverge more for better support. When the legs are retracted, they draw together somewhat to make the carrier more compact. The

side slots

62 and 63 in the brace bar 64 permit this action of the legs to occur.

The ease of assembly of this golf club carrier is of significance. As already noted, all parts of the carrier are supported by the central shaft 11 that is threaded along'its entire length. To install the parts on the shaft 11, the shaft is rst .introduced through the hole 1S in the bottom 17 of the tube 15 and the tube is slid along the shaft until it stops against the head 12 of the shaft 11. Then the locking nut 19 is threaded onto the shaft until the tube is tightened against the head 12 of the shaft.

Next the handle arm 22 is slid onto the shaft until it contacts the nut 19. Then another nut 24 is threaded onto the shaft to lock the handle arm 22 .in place. Thereafter the clamp assemblies 25 are slid onto the shaft in proper sequence with their

respective locking nuts

26 and 27. The individual clamps 31 may be fastened to the blocks 78 before or after the blocks are mounted on the shaft 11. The positions of the clamp assemblies 25 may be adjusted at any time to best support the golf clubs GC. This adjustment can be done by simply loosening one or both sets of the nuts 26 and 27 that lock the assemblies 25 in place.

VJhen the ciamp assemblies 25 are in place, the other handle bracket 28 and its locking nuts 29 are fixed in place.

Next, the cup 33 may be installed by fastening it and the

plates

34 and 35 between the locking nuts 36. The metal strip 37 may be included if desired.

The leg assembly is easily installed by mounting the

plates

41 and 45 and the L-shaped bracket 46 on the handle arm 22. Then thel legs 51B and 51, together with the

rods

56 and 57 are attached by the

shoulder bolts

54 and 55, and the brace arm 64, with the

plates

65 and 66 is attached by the wire keys 67. Thereafter, the arms71 and 75 of the operating assembly 70 are fastened in place.

The cartridge 35 may be preassembled by welded parts or it may be assembled by screws fastening the spring metal strips 87, 88 and 89 to the

plates

90 and 91.

From the foregoing it is quite obvious that this golf club carrier 1t) can be assembled in a matter of a fe minutes.

Various changes and modifications may be made within the purview of this invention as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are within the scope and teaching of this invention as defined by the claims appended thereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A golf club carrier comprising central shaft means having a top and a bottom end, a plurality of clamps attached to the central shaft means for releasably engaging the shafts of a corresponding plurality of golf clubs, means spaced toward the bottom end of the central shaft means for releasably confining ends of the golf clubs, and a pair of legs each having a top and a bottom end, a bracket connected to the central shaft means adjacent the top end thereof, a pair of downwardly and outwardly extending laterally spaced tabs depending from the bracket, `means adjacent the top ends of the legs to pivotally connect the legs to the tabs for swinging movement between positions generally parallel to the central shaft means and positions downwardly and outwardly inclined relative to the `central shaft means, a connecting plate joined by loose connections to the top ends of the legs, the tabs being divergent in the direction of swinging movement of the legs toward the said outwardly inclined positions to cause the legs to spread as they are swung to the last named positions, the loose connections joining the `connecting plate to the legs permitting the foregoing action while holding the top ends of the legs at substantially constant spacing between one another, the result being a steady tripod stand comprising the two legs and the central shaft means.

2. The golf club carrier of claim l wherein the tabs are spaced by the bracket from the central shaft means in a direction opposite to that toward which the legs swing when swung toward the said outwardly inclined positions.

3. The golf club carrier of claim 1 including a hand operable lever assembly having articulate connections to the connecting plate and the bracket for swinging the legs.

References Cited bythe Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,418,093 5/22 Parmater. Y 1,644,133 10/27 Howe 108--129 2,482,372 9/49 Rossow.

HUGO o. SCHULZ, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. A GOLF CLUB CARRIER COMPRISING CENTRAL SHAFT MEANS HAVING A TOP AND A BOTTOM END, A PLURALITY OF CLAMPS ATTACHED TO THE CENTRAL SHAFT MEANS FOR RELEASABLY ENGAGING THE SHAFTS OF A CORRESPONDING PLURALITY OF GOLF CLUBS, MEANS SPACED TOWARD THE BOTTOM END OF THE CENTRAL SHAFT MEANS FOR RELEASABLY CONFINING ENDS OF THE GOLF CLUBS, AND A PAIR OF LEGS EACH HAVING A TOP AND A BOTTOM END, A BRACKET CONNECTED TO THE CENTRAL SHAFT MEANS ADJACENT THE TOP END THEREOF, A PAIR OF DOWNWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY EXTENDING LATERALLY SPACED TABS DEPENDING FROM THE BRACKET, MEANS ADJACENT THE TOP ENDS OF THE LEGS TO PIVOTALLY CONNECT THE LEGS TO THE TABS FOR SWINGING MOVEMENT BETWEEN POSITIONS GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE CENTRAL SHAFT MEANS AND POSITIONS DOWNWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY INCLINED RELATIVE TO THE CENTRAL SHAFT MEANS, A CONNECTING PLATE JOINED BY LOOSE CONNECTIONS TO THE TOP ENDS OF THE LEGS, THE TABS BEING DIVERGENT IN THE DIRECTION OF SWINGING MOVEMENT OF THE LEGS TOWARD THE SAID OUTWARDLY INCLINED POSITIONS TO CAUSE THE LEGS TO SPREAD AS THEY ARE SWUNG TO THE LAST NAMED POSITIONS, THE LOOSE CONNECTIONS JOINING THE CONNECTING PLATE TO THE LEGS PERMITTING THE FORGOING ACTION WHILE HOLDING THE TOP ENDS OF THE LEGS AT SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT SPACING BETWEEN ONE ANOTHER, THE RESULT BEING A STEADY TRIPOD STAND COMPRISING THE TWO LEGS AND THE CENTRAL SHAFT MEANS.