US3360279A

US3360279A - Golf club carrier in the form of a trolley

Info

Publication number: US3360279A
Application number: US540708A
Authority: US
Inventors: Hunt Arthur John
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1965-04-09
Filing date: 1966-04-06
Publication date: 1967-12-26
Anticipated expiration: 1984-12-26
Also published as: GB1126735A

Description

Dec. 26, 1967 A. J. HUNT 3,350,279

GOLF CLUB CARRIER IN THE FORM OF A TROLLEY Filed April 6, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet l l n venlor' Dec. 26, 1967 i N 3,360,279 I I GOLF CLUB CARRIER IN THE FORM OF A TROLLEY Filed April 6, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent Office 3,360,279 Patented Dec. 26, 1967 3,360,279 GOLF CLUB CARRIER IN THE FORM OF A TROLLEY Arthur John Hunt, 24 Chart Lane, Reigate, England Filed Apr. 6, 1966, Ser. No. 540,708 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Apr. 9, 1965, 15,283/ 65 7 Claims. (Cl. 280-35) This invention relates to an improved form of golf club carrier.

A main object of the present invention is to provide a golf club carrier which permits golf clubs carried by the carrier to be more easily removed from and replaced on the carrier than has been possible with carriers hitherto available.

Another object is to provide such a golf club carrier with an undercarriage which is easier to wheel over rough ground, and which is more stable when being wheeled over rough ground, than those hitherto available.

According to the invention there is provided a golf club carrier comprising a shaft structure mountable on an undercarriage and including rungs through which iron clubs are threaded to be held thereby, the rungs being spaced apart to engage the threaded clubs in the region of the heads and handles thereof as well as in the region of the middle of the club shafts, and a support rung on which the club heads are supported, the support rung being inclined towards the lower end of the shaft struc ture and including an element arranged to arrest the head of a club sliding down the support rung thereby to ensure nesting of the club heads resting on the support rung and consequential separation of the shafts to make each shaft handle readily available.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, preferred embodiments thereof will nOW be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 shows a front elevation of a golf club carrier, ,in combination with an undercarriage to form a trolley,

FIGURE 2 shows a side elevation of the carrier shown in FIGURE 1, the full lines depicting the handle and the undercarriage of the trolley in an extended position and the phantom lines depicting the handle in a fully folded position and the undercarriage in a partially folded position,

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the trolley shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, taken from the rear of the trolley,

FIGURE 4 is a front elevation of a modified form of the carrier, and p FIGURE 5 is'a side elevation of FIGURE 4.

In the drawings like references refer to like or similar parts.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the golf club carrier shown therein is in the form of a trolley including a shaft structure constituted by two straight and parallel side members 1 and 2. The members 1 and 2 of the shaft structure are connected by a group of three straight and parallel downwardly

inclined rungs

3, 4 and 5 extending between the two side members 1 and 2.

Of the

rungs

3, 4 and 5 the rung 3 is fnred in the plane of the shaft structure members 1 and 2, the rung 4 is fixed on the lower side of the shaft structure members 1 and 2 and the rung 5 is fixed on the upper side of the shaft structure members 1 and 2.

Below the group of

rungs

3, 4 and 5 is a support rung 6 which is J-shaped and is fixed between the two shaft structure members 1 and 2 with the longer straight part of the J-shaped rung 6 inclined in the same direction as each of the

rungs

3, 4 and 5.

In FIGURE 1 of the drawings, six iron golf clubs, in dicated generally at 7, are shown threaded through the group of three

rungs

3, 4 and 5. The

rungs

3, 4 and 5 are spaced apart so that the rung 3 engages the shafts of all the threaded clubs near their handles, the mug 4 engages the shafts near the middles of the shafts, and the rung 5 engages the shafts near the club heads so that the clubs 7 are held by the

rungs

3, 4 and 5 to the carmet.

In order to remove any one of the clubs 7 from the carrier, the club is drawn upwards by its handle until the head of the club is above the rung 5, and then the handle of the club can be moved rearwards and the head of the club can be withdrawn between the rungs 3 and 4. In order to replace the club in the carrier the reverse action is carried out, that is, the head of the club is threaded from the rear, first between the two rungs 3 and 4 and then down between the rungs 4 and 5, until the club head contacts the J-shaped support rung 6.

If the clubs are left-handed clubs the support rung 6 is arranged as shown in FIGURE 1, and then the club is replaced always on the right-hand side of the trolley as shown in FIGURE 1, so that the club head comes into contact with the longer straight portion of the support rung 6 and slides down the longer straight portion of the support rung 6 towards the curved part of the support rung 6. The curved configuration of the left-hand end of the rung 6 provides an integral portion upturned from the lower end of the rung to act as a stop and ensure that the club heads are nested together and as a result of the nesting of the club heads the shafts of the clubs are separated, which makes each handle readily available for removal of the club from the carrier. 7 The carrier shown in the drawings may be adapted to contain right-handed clubs by reversing the inclination of the group of

rungs

3, 4 and 5 and by reversing the support rung 6 so that the curved part of the support rung 6 lies on the right-hand side, .in the view shown in FIGURE 1. In this way nesting of right-handed clubs is assured.

The nesting of the club heads produced by a J-shaped support rung also ensures that the clubs are not thrown from side to side when the carrier is used over rough ground.

The upper ends of the shaft structure members 1 and 2 are connected by a crossbar 8 and the lower ends are connected by a cross-member 9. To each of the members 1 and 2 a pair of cylindrical tubes 10 and 11 is attached by means of a former 12, FIG. 3, which holds the upper ends of the tubes and is fixed by a bolt 13 to the side member 1, and a cap 14 which closes the bottom ends of both tubes and is fixed to an end of the cross-member 9. The tubes 10 and 11 may be made of any suitable industrial plastics material, or metal such as an aluminium alloy or sheet steel, and are intended to contain wood clubs, the shafts of which are inserted into the tubes. It will be appreciated that the tubes may be circular, square or rectangular in cross section.

A U-shaped handle 15 which forms an extension of the shaft structure and by which the carrier is to be pulled, is pivoted on the crossbar 8.

Notches 16 are formed in the two straight arms 17 and 18 of the handle 15, close to the crossbar 8, and these notches are so positioned as to engage with respective threaded studs 19 which project inwardly from the upper ends of the side members 1 and 2 when the handle is raised from the folded position on the front of the carrier, as shown in phantom lines in FIGURE 2, to the extended position.

When the handle 15 is in the extended position, nuts 21 on the studs 19 are tightened to clamp the handle 15 in the extended position. In order to give the player a firm hold on the handle 15, a grip 22 which may be of rubber or plastics material is provided.

The handle may alternatively be held in the extended position by spring-loaded pins projecting inwardly from the upper ends of the shaft structure members 1 and 2 to engage in respective sockets in the handle 15, the pins being withdrawn against the spring pressure to allow folding of the handle.

An undercarriage provided with wheels 23 is pivoted to the shaft structure of the carrier so as to be let down when the carrier is in use, or to be folded back when the loaded carrier is to be transported, e.g., by car.

The two sides of the undercarriage are identical and so for clarity only one side will be described.

Referring to FIGURES 2 and 3 of the drawings, each side of the undercarriage includes a strut 24 which is pivoted at its upper end 25 on a lug 26 fixed to one of the side members 1 and 2 of the shaft structure. An arm 27 carries one of the running wheels 23 at its trailing end 28 and is pivoted, at a point between the ends of the arm on the end of a cross-member 29 which passes through the lower ends of the struts 24. The leading end 30 of the arm 27 is connected by a spring 31 to a peg 32 fixed to the respective lug 26.

A locking strut 33 is pivoted at its lower end on the cross-member 29 between the arm 27 and strut 24. Each locking strut 33 is formed with a notch 34, FIGURE 2, near its upper end, which notch is brought into engagement with a screw clamp 35 mounted on a lug 36 on the shaft structure members 1 and 2. When it is desired to clamp the undercarriage in its extended position, the screw clamp 35 is then tightened and the carrier is ready for use.

It will be appreciated that the undercarriage may be folded in a collapsed position to facilitate stowing the carrier in a car or the like for transport. In this event, the clamps 35 are loosened so that the notched portions 34 of the struts 33 may be removed therefrom, and the struts 24 may be pivoted about their connections with the lugs 26 until the cross member 29 or the lower pivoted ends of the struts 33 engage the carrier body. In FIG. 2, the undercarriage is shown in phantom lines in a partially collapsed position in which the lower ends 28 of the arms 27 have substantially engaged the tubes 11. In the illustrated position, the

struts

24 and 33 are still in the angular relationship as shown in full lines, but further pivoting of the struts 24 will cause the arms 27 and struts 33 to swing upwardly until they are substantially parallel with the tubes 11 and the struts 24 are parallel with the side members 1 and 2. In this position, the notches 34 can straddle the base portions of the pegs 32.

Instead of the notch and clamp arrangement for securing the upper ends of the locking struts, the upper ends of the struts may be adapted to permanently engage with slides fixed one along each shaft structure member 1 and 2, with clamps to clamp the struts in any required position on the slides.

An abutment 37, FIGURE 3, at the lower end of each of the locking struts 33 limits the possible movement of the arms 27 in an anti-clockwise direction so as to positively locate the arms 27 against the tension of the springs 31 when the weight of the carrier is supported by the wheels 23, the strength of the springs 31 being such as to allow the arms 27 to pivot away from the abutments 37 against the tension of the springs 31 when the wheels 23 contact bumps or holes when the carrier is in use.

Such a spring undercarriage makes the carrier more stable in use, by absorbing the effect of bumps or holes in the ground, and also allows a narrower wheel track to be employed than is required to prevent overturning of the carrier if a rigid undercarriage is used.

The carrier is provided on one side with a strap 38 and a cup 39 so that an umbrella may be conveniently carried on the carrier.

One or more containers for golf balls or other articles may be fitted to the front of the carrier, and a cover may also be attached to keep rain off the club handles during rainy weather. Alternatively, a waterproof bonnet can be slipped over the carrier handle 15 and the club handles to protect them from rain.

It will be appreciated that a golf club carrier in the form of a trolley as described offers many advantages over golf club carrying arrangements at present in use. Such arrangements consists of a bag containing the golf clubs, and a separate wheeled carriage to which the bag must be secured, for example by means of straps.

A golf club carrier in the form of a trolley as described herein eliminates the need for a bag for the golf clubs, since the clubs are held in the trolley itself and thus the cost of the bag and the inconvenience of attaching the bag to a separate carriage are avoided. Furthermore, the present trolley is lighter to wheel round the golf course and the spring undercarriage incorporated in the preferred embodiment of the invention increases the stability of the trolley when in use by minimising the effect of irregularities in the ground. The stability of the trolley as described is further enhanced by the clubs being held heads downwards in the trolley, so that the centre of gravity of the loaded trolley is considerably lower than that of previous carrying arrangements, in which the clubs are carried with their heads upwards.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate a modified form of the carrier which can be fitted with an undercarriage of the kind described above or with any other suitable form of undercarriage. In this embodiment of the invention the rung 3 described above is omitted and the rung 4' is disposed to be at right angles to the shaft structure members 1 and 2. Further, the support rung 6 is straight, instead of J-shaped, and is provided with a stop pin 6a which is screwed into, or otherwise secured to, the rung 6. The stop pin 6a arrests the club heads which slide down the rung 6'.

Also in this embodiment of the invention a flap 4a is pivoted above the rung 4' and means is operable to retain the flap in a position, as indicated in FIG. 5, relative to the shaft structure such as to guide the head of a club past the rung 4' as the club is withdrawn from the carrier. The said means may consist of a torsion spring 40 also fitted round the rung 4', or it may consist of stops, not shown, fitted on the frame of the undercarriage and behind which the free edge of the flap is located when the trolley is prepared for use. The flap 4a, which may be made of any suitable material, not only serves as a guide for the head of a club as just described but also, when the trolley is folded up for storage or transport rests against the shafts of the clubs and presses them against the rung 5 thus acting to restrain the clubs against movement thereof towards the top of the carrier.

I claim:

1. A golf club carrier comprising a shaft structure mountable on an undercarriage and including rungs through which iron clubs are threaded to be held thereby, the rungs being spaced apart to engage the threaded clubs in the region of the heads and handles thereof as well as in the region of the middle of the club shafts, and a support rung on which the club heads are supported, the support rung being inclined towards the lower end of the shaft structure and including an element arranged to arrest the head of a club sliding down the support rung thereby to ensure nesting of the club heads resting on the support rung and consequential separation of the shafts to make each shaft handle readily available.

2. A golf club carrier according to claim 1, wherein said element is a stop pin secured to the support rung.

3. A golf club carrier according to claim 1, wherein said element is integral with the support rung and comprises a portion upturned from the lower end of the support rung.

4. A golf club carrier according to claim 1, including a flap pivoted to the rung engageable with the clubs in the region of the middle of the club shafts, and means operable to retain the flap in a position relative to the shaft structure such as to guide the head of a club past said rung as the club is withdrawn from the carrier.

5. A golf club carrier according to claim 1, in combination with an undercarriage including running wheels and pivotal means by which the undercarriage is pivoted to the shaft structure to enable the undercarriage to be let down when the trolley formed by the combination is in use or folded back when the loaded trolley is to be transported.

6. A golf club carrier according to claim 5, wherein the undercarriage includes two struts, one end of each strut being pivoted on a respective side of the shaft structure, and two arms, each arm being pivoted, at a point between its ends, on a horizontal pivot at the other end of a respective strut, each arm carrying a running wheel at its trailing end, and the leading end of each arm being References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,486,655 3/1924 Gourley 211- 60 1,678,353 7/1928 Reach 2116O 2,858,140 10/1958 Stamp 28036 3,147,988 9/1964 Schairer 280-47.19

BENJAMIN HERSH, Primary Examiner.

20 J. SIEGEL, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. A GOLF CLUB CARRIER COMPRISING A SHAFT STRUCTURE MOUNTABLE ON AN UNDERCARRIAGE AND INCLUDING RUNGS THROUGH WHICH IRON CLUBS ARE THREADED TO BE HELD THEREBY, THE RUNGS BEING SPACED APART TO ENGAGE THE THREADED CLUBS IN THE REGION OF THE HEADS AND HANDLES THEREOF AS WELL AS IN THE REGION OF THE MIDDLE OF THE CLUB SHAFTS, AND A SUPPORT RUNG ON WHICH THE CLUB HEADS ARE SUPPORTED, THE SUPPORT RUNG BEING INCLINED TOWARDS THE LOWER END