US3704475A

US3704475A - Golf club cleaner

Info

Publication number: US3704475A
Application number: US111980A
Authority: US
Inventors: Wilbur G Brooks
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1971-02-02
Filing date: 1971-02-02
Publication date: 1972-12-05
Anticipated expiration: 1989-12-05

Abstract

A housing provided with a power driven, rotating, tapered brush arranged within the housing, access to the brush from without the housing for the insertion of a golf club head to be cleaned being by an angularly disposed slot having on longitudinal edge parallel with the lateral surface of the brush and a blade adjacent the brush coacting with the rotation of the brush to prevent ejection of material through the slot.

Description

United States Patent Brooks [54] GOLF CLUB CLEANER [72] Inventor: Wilbur G. Brooks, 3304 Salem Turnpike, N.W., Roanoke, Va. 24008 22] Filed: Feb. 2, 1971 21] Appl. No.: 111,980

[52] US. Cl. ..l5/21 E [51] Int. Cl. ..A63b 57/00 [58] Field of Search.15/21 D, 34, 97, 4, 210, 104.94,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,148,396 9/1964 Smith ..l5/2l 1,662,498 3/1928 Gill et al ..15/36 [451 Dec. 5, 1972 Swords 1 5/21 D 3,284,828 11/1966 Jennings et a1. ..l5/21 D 3,332,099 7/1967 Reiter ..l5/2l R 3,412,414 11/1968 Perkins ..l5/21 R Primary Examiner-Leon G. Machlin Attorney-John B. Sponsler [5 7 1 ABSTRACT A housing provided with a power driven, rotating, tapered brush arranged within the housing, access to the brush from without the housing for the insertion of a golf club head to be cleaned being by an angularly disposed slot having on longitudinal edge parallel with the lateral surface of the brush and a blade adjacent the brush coacting with the rotation of the brush to prevent ejeqtion of'rnaterial through the slot.

2 A I 1 Claim, 1 Drawing Figure PATENTEDBEB 51972 I 3,704.475

WILBUR 5. BROOKS I I v INVENTOIIK GOLF cum CLEANER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The sophistication of recreational golf requires greater and greater refinement not only in technique, but also in equipment. Since the use of golf clubs invariablycauses more or less of accumulation of soil upon the heads of the clubs, the necessity of removal of such deposits is essential to the proper and successful manipulation of the clubs. Inaddition, retention of such deposits for any prolonged period may result in permanent damage via corrosion to the carefully designed club heads of modern golf equipment.

Cleaning golf club heads by hand is' tedious and generally unsatisfactory either in the clubroom or on the golf course using mechanical implements. Chemical cleaners similarly are undesirable in that they not only present difficulties in applying, but also may result in damage to the sensitive faces of many of the more modern designs of clubs.

Power driven cleaning machines have been devised such as those shown in US. Pat. Nos. 3,148,396 and 3,332,099; however these machines are costly, require circulating fluids to perfect'the cleaning operation and the consequent filtering of such fluids either automatically or by replacement, and introduce intricate operating difficulties.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The FIG. 1 is a partial perspective drawing of the invention showing a housing, together with an internally arranged tapered, power-driven brush, the housing having an opening for the insertion of a golf club to be cleaned.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to the FIGURE a rectangular'housing having a top plate 11 encloses a tapered, rotary brush 12 which is rotated in a counter clockwise direction by a motor (not shown) in the base of the housing. An angular slot 13 is cut in the top plate 11, the longitudinal 2 edge 8-5 of the slot 13 being parallel with the lateral surface t-t' of the brush 12. A blade 14 is positioned within the housing cooperating with the brush 1 2 (rotating counter clockwise) to prevent materials and loose particles from being ejected upward through the slot 13. Spaced below the brush 12 is atray 15a (see out out portion of FIG. 1) arranged as a drawer within the housing 10 and having a pullout 15b. The edges of the slot 13 may be lined with a rubber or plastic gasket, if desired. A container for ordinary tap. water may also be provided external of the housing, or attached to it (not shown).

In operation (with inserted with is head downwards through the slot 13, the face of the club bemg pressed manually against the brush 12 and the handle of the club being rested against the edge of the slot 13, the edge of the slot acting as a guide to position the club face against that part of the brush 12 most nearly fitting the angular opening of the club face. For example, a number 2 item would be positioned towardthe end of the tapered brush 12 having the greatest diameter whereas a number 9 iron would be positioned toward the 'end of the brush 12 having the least diameter. If deemed advisable by the user, the head of the club may be dippedinto tap water container prior to being inserted through the-slot 13. Encrusted soil, grass, etcetera on the club face is scoured from the club, the removed material being directed downward into'the tray 15a, the blade 14 preventing the material from being ejected upward through the slot 13 into the face of the user.

A second feature of the blade 14 is to prevent the user from inserting the club against the direction of rotation of the brush 12 whereby the club might be thrown out into the face of the user by the centrifugal force imparted from the rotation of the brush. In other words, any seizure of the club head by the brush 12 will cause the club to drawn into the housing where the club head will be thrown against the tray 15a rather than ejected through the slot 13.

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A golf club cleaning device including a housing, an axis, a rotatable, axially tapered brush in said housing, means for rotating said brush about said axis, a slotted opening in said housing extending substantially parallel to the axis and for substantially the axial length of said brush and arranged at an angle with the axis of rotation of said brush, and an edge of said slotted opening being adapted to guiding a golf club to have its head cleaned along the varying periphery of said brush at a position corresponding to the degree of angularity of said head.

the'brush rotating) a golf club is