US3451682A - Practice putting cup - Google Patents

Description

June 24, 1969 v. F. QTRIMBLE- 3,451,682

PRACTICE PUTTING CUP Filed Oct. 2'), 1967 WVE/VTOI? VEfP/VO/V F TR/MBLE United States Patent 3,451,682 PRACTICE PUTTING CUP Vernon F. Trimble, 6700 N. Harlem Ave., Chicago, II]. 60631 Filed Oct. 9, 1967, Ser. No. 674,023 Int. Cl. A63b 57/00 US. Cl. 273-176 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A hollow-walled cup member adapted to be placed on its side on a substantially horizontal surface, to receive a golf ball putted into its open end and be thereby forced or tilted into an upright position and simultaneously score an arbitrary value for the putt through a free-moving playpiece or score ball, within the hollow wall, cooperating in random fall into scoring pockets therein.

The cup comprises a frusto-conical polygon with a plurality of ramp edges around its open top and having a double wall defining a circumferential space containing deflectors, a free-moving scoring ball and score cups. The cup is further provided with a flat bottom having a circumferential outer flanged edge of lesser effective diameter than the diameter of the open top and so constructed that with the cup resting upon a substantially horizontal surface the center of gravity of the cup passes through the wall in close proximity to the flanged edge and at a point removed from the ramp edge at the open end.

Background of the invention It is old to use a cup-shaped member turned on its side to receive and be up-righted by a putted golf ball for I golf practice. A number of putting devices of this kind are known and all include trunnions or pivots to hold the cup so that it will properly tilt to an upright position in response to the weight of the ball and contain the golf ball in its righted position. An ordinary paper cup can be used to accomplish these same purposes in a limited way; in that case the inertia of the putting ball turning the cup upright when the ball hits the bottom of the cup.

The prior art devices, although accomplishing their intended purposes, are somewhat complicated, employing in some instances, electromagnetic contacts for scoring and do not provide simple, unitary construction amenable to easy fabrication and simplicity of use. Also, prior art devices are not adapted to sequential play in a manner to simulate a game of golf.

The instant invention represents an improvement over the prior art devices in that it is simply constructed, is readily used and provides along with the putting practice, a game of chance or means for scoring a complete game of golf for the practice golfer. The putting cup of this invention is a self-contained unit which is readily used and adapted to a number of methods of scoring which serve to generate an interest in the use of the device. The putting cup of this invention also employs scoring means which relate to certain assigned value positions for the holes into which positions the cup may be oriented prior to putting a golf ball therein.

Summary of the invention The invention concerns a putting practice cup which is an integrally balanced unit of frusto-conical polygon design having segmented walls and ramp edges adapted to raise the rolling golf ball, as by striking thereon, then provide an incline up which it must roll before striking the inner bottom surface to cause the cup to tilt in an upright position. The golf practice cup of this invention is of such balanced design that no scoring is recorded unless the ball strikes the individual. segmented ramp edge 3,451,682 Patented June 24, 1969 which is on the downward side with sutficient velocity to carry it against the inner bottom. The cup does not tilt and no score is made if the foregoing events do not take place, or if the ball should strike at a position other than at the bottom segment.

More particularly, the invention concerns a putting cup device of the foregoing balanced design which includes a double polygonal wall defining therebetween a circumferential space extending continuously around the cup and containing a scoring ball therein. Another feature is the provision of a certain combination of scoring holes and baflle members within the aforesaid circumferential space which imparts a purely random path to the scoring ball as the cup is tilted to its upright position.

In one embodiment of this invention, the putting cup has a wall formed of nine equal segments which may be variously identified by indicia such as the numerals one to nine on their respective ramps inside the open top and with par values assigned thereto so that the cup may be placed upon a horizontal surface with the edge on a desired segment or hole in contact with the surface in relationship to receive the putted golf ball. More accurate putting is required to operate the device of this invention because the segments of the Wall on each side of the horizontal segment prevent the golf ball from entering the cup.

In another embodiment of the invention, means are provided within a transparent hollow wall to first orient the scoring ball within that segment or hole which is on the down side of the cup, before receiving the golf ball, and to contain the scoring ball within that wall segment as the golf ball, in passing up the ramp, strikes the bottom of the cup and causes it to tilt, and contain the golf ball while simultaneously indicating a score at that hole.

Description of the drawings One embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the putting device;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the same;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the same invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 44 of FIG. 1 showing the device placed on its side on a substantially horizontal surface;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along lines 5-5 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view showing the device in its upright position having received a putted golf ball with the scoring indicia shown.

The preferred embodiment Referring to the drawings, the device of this invention is shown to comprise a cup member 10 having a transverse bottom wall 12, preferably formed of solid lightweight material. The oup 10 has a plurality of inner wall segments 16 affixed to and extending from the bottom 12 in a flared or diverging relationship to the upper edges 18. At this point the wall segments 16 are aflixed to or have outwardly flared peripheral segments 20, terminating in a peripheral knife-like edge 22. Each of the segments 20 is flat, as are the Wall segments 16 to provide a flat ramp and rolling surface, respectively, for a golf ball 24 (FIGS. 4 and 6), in a manner to be described.

The bottom wall 12 has a flange 26 extending about its periphery and having a scalloped edge 28 forming successive radial points 30 therearound. The flange 26, in the embodiment shown, is of lesser thickness than the bottom wall 12 and the plurality of junctures form diverging shoulders 32. The cup member 10 is shown as a nine-sided polygonal shape for purposes of illustration. A series of transparent or translucent plastic outer Wall segments or panels 34 are afllxed at their bottom edges 36 edges 42 of the inner wall segments 16 are joined to the bottom member 12 inside the shoulder 32.

This double-walled construction, defining the space 40, has a bottom wall 44 formed by the bottom member 12 and a top wall or ceiling 46 is provided to completely enclose the space 40 and contain the scoring ball 5. The space 40 is substantially uniform in radial dimension throughout its height between the ceiling 46 and the bottom 44 and is of a sufficient radial depth to allow free movement of the scoring ball 50 therein. The top wall 46 is trough-shaped comprising two sections 52 and 54 which are fiat and join each other at the trough bottom 56 in a V-shaped configuration which is substantially midway between the radially disposed junctures 58 of the inner wall segments 16 and the junctures 60 of the outer wall segments 34. A space 62 can be left between the ramp segments 20 and the outer ends of the wall sections 34 to act as a cushion for the golf ball 24.

A series of radial, elongated baffle walls 64 are afiixed in a substantially vertical position within the space 40 at the inner and outer surfaces of each of the radially aligned junctures 38 and 58 of the wall segments. The bafiles 64 are spaced as at 66, the top, and 68, the bottom, to provide circumferential communicating paths around the space 40. Central of each Wall section and extending Any desired indicia and scoring pocket arrangement can be used and applied to the putting cup of this invention. Thus, the numerals 1-9, as illustrated at 74, can be painted or affiXed to the ramp segments 20 around the periphery, to assimilate the numbered holes of a 9 hole golf course. Likewise, the baffie member 70 can have one or more pockets 76 in the top side, of sufiicient size to retain the score ball 50 therein, when the cup is in an upright position. An indicia 2 can be applied to the baffle or the outer wall 34 in adjacency therewith as shown. The base 44 is shown to have a pair of pockets 78 and 80 with the former having the indicia 3 thereon and the latter the indicia 4 thereon. Also an indicia 82 can be placed in the proximity of each of the indicia 74, to show the par strokes for that hole.

The putting game device with the aforedescribed indicia may be used in the following manner. The device is placed on the floor 84 and tilted on its side with the segment bearing the indicia 1 against the horizontal surface as shown in FIG. 4. In this position the score ball 50 automatically falls against the inner surface of the outer wall Segment 34 which defines the outer periphery of this segment. The bottom of the device rests on the floor 84 with the points 30 of the flange 26 serving to raise the wall 34 at an elevation at the base end above the transverse generally concave walls 52 and 54. The ball 50 rolls to the outer end of the space 40 and is centered therein at the apex or V '56 of the concavity.

A golf ball 24 is putted into the cup 10 with sufficient velocity to pass up the ramp 20 and over the inner wall segment 16 against the bottom 12. This causes the cup to upright itself and trap the ball therein. At the same time the score ball 50 is released to fall at random upon the baffle 70 where it may remain in the pocket 76, or bounce off of this pocket and fall into one or the other of the pockets 78 or 80. If the ball 50 rests in the pocket 76 a score of 2 is registered for a 4 par hole and the player gets an eagle or 2 under par. If the ball falls into the pocket 78 a score of 3 is registered and the player gets one under par for a birdie. With the score ball 50 in the pocket 80, the player registers a par for the first hole. The position of the ball 50 in the various pockets can be readily seen by the transparency of the wall 34.

This procedure is repeated for each of the nine holes around the ramp 20. Any number of players can participate.

The center of gravity of the cup 10 falls close to, but inside the flange 26. Thus a golf ball 24, at the time it strikes the bottom wall 12, bears downward against the inner wall segment 16 on a side away from the base 12, and, opposite its direction of travel, so that momentarily the center of gravity of the combined cup and ball is shifted away from the base. This stabilizes the cup against tipping under those conditions where the golf ball just reaches the bottom wall 12. The ball 50 must therefore have sutficient' forward velocity to not only strike the bottom wall 12, but must do so with sufficient inertia to pivot the cup on the points 30 and raise both itself and the cup 10 to a point where the center of gravity is outside the fiange 26. This action will cause the cup 10 to right itself into the position shown in FIG. 6 and register a score. If the ball does not strike the bottom wall 12 with sufficient force it rolls back out of the cup and no score is registered.

The ramp 20 may have widths along the knife edge 22 which are about the diameter of a golf ball so that the total effective width of the opening between the adjacent ramps through which the ball may pass is about the same size as the cup in a green, i.e., 4% inches.

The device of this invention may be constructed of any desired materials and is preferably constructed of lightweight materials such as thin plastic sheet. Any of a large number of transparent plastics can be used to form the windows or transparent walls 34.

The internal surfaces of the space 40 are smooth and formed free of imperfections, so that the score piece 50 which is preferably spherical and in the form of a steel, glass, plastic or rubber ball, does not catch or lodge anywhere therein except in the pockets, 76, 78 and and rests only momentarily in the apex of the concavity 56. By making these parts of plastic the score piece 50, if made of steel, is given a bouncing action which extends the random nature of its travel to and from the various pockets and bafiies. By these means the path of travel of the play piece is truly random and never an established path or one which occurs more often than others.

The device may be any polyhedron configuration and may have any desired number of sides, e.g., three or more. Preferably, the device is formed with all sides or segments of equal width and equal depth so that a true cup-shape is obtained. For purposes of a golf game the device is formed in a nonagon (nine-sided) figures or may be an eighteen-sided figure. The side bafiies 64 can extend the entire depth of the space 40, omitting the apertures 66 and 68, and each said enclosed section of the wall can have an individual play piece, if desired. The inner walls 16 and the ramps 20 can be limited to areas adjacent the pockets 76,78 and 80 so that the play piece is only visible when positioned within a pocket. The scoring segments of the wall may be individual, interconnected or otherwise spaced around the wall of the cup. More than one score piece 50 can be used and different values or color codes assigned to each.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is: 4

1. A putting game device comprising a) a cup-shaped member having a flat bottom including a peripheral edge and a circumferential upwardly diverging side wall defining an open top edge,

(b) a portion of said wall comprising a substantially flat wall section, and

(c) said side wall being joined to said bottom radially inward of said peripheral edge so that a peripheral flange extends radially outward from said bottom,

((1) so that said member may be placed on its side with said top edge and said flange resting on a substantially horizontal surface and said Wall section inclined downwardly toward said open top edge and be tipped to an upright position by entry of a putted golf ball.

2. A putting game device according to claim 1 wherein the said wall section has opposed spaced inner and outer wall segments, the outer one of which has a transparent area, a free-moving score piece is disposed in the space between the wall segments, and an upwardly opening pocket is provided within the said space into which said score piece can lodge at random upon upright positioning of the device, said score piece being positioned gravitationally adjacent said top edge when the device is resting on its side and falling at random therefrom upon its being turned upright.

3. A putting game device in accordance with claim 2 in which (a) said cup-shaped member includes a plurality of fiat wall sections similar to said first mentioned section in polyhedral configuration,

(b) the spaces between said wall sections are in communication with each other, and

(c) and at least one score piece receiving pocket is provided within the space of each wall section.

4. A putting game device in accordance with claim 2 in which (a)said space between said wall segments has a bottom wall and a top wall, said top wall being upwardly concave between the limits of said segment whereby said score piece is oriented within said concavity in the inclined position of said device.

5. A putting game device in accordance with claim 4 in which (a) said bottom wall of said space includes at least one upwardly opening score piece receiving pocket.

6. A putting device in accordance with claim 4 in which (a) said transparent area extends between said bottom and top walls.

7. A putting game device in accordance with claim 3 in which (a) the spaces between said wall sections have bottom and top walls,

(b) and the lateral ends of the bottom wall of each section being raised sufficiently to prevent said ball from rolling out of said section upon tipping said device into an upright position.

8. A putting device in accordance with claim 7 includ- (a) scoring indicia on said pockets and (b) numerical indicia on the inner sides of said wall sections.

9. A putting game device in accordance with claim 1 in which (a) said cup member side wall comprises nine fiat wall sections, and

(b) the top edge of the cup member has a nonagon configuration.

10. A putting device in accordance with claim 3 in which the configuration of said flange conforms with the polyhedral configuration of said cup-shaped member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,691,935 11/1928 Paterson. 3,074,722 1/1963 Davenport.

GEORGE J. MARLO, Prillltu'y lilramilmr.

U.S. Cl. X.R.

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