WO2007149576A2

WO2007149576A2 - Golf tee height stopper

Info

Publication number: WO2007149576A2
Application number: PCT/US2007/014652
Authority: WO
Inventors: Scott M. Joffe
Original assignee: Joffe Scott M
Priority date: 2006-06-23
Filing date: 2007-06-22
Publication date: 2007-12-27
Also published as: WO2007149576A3

Abstract

A golf tee stopper (A) having a center aperture (112) of material and design so as to slide over a golf tee while creating enough friction with the tee to act as a stop against the ground when teeing a golf ball using the method as described herein and providing the capability to repeatedly insert a golf tee to essentially the same depth to thereby allow the golf tee to hold a golf ball at a height preferred by a user.

Description

GOLF TEE HEIGHT STOPPER

Technical Field.

This invention relates to a device used in the sport of golf, and more specifically to a device that attaches to any typical golf tee and acts as a stopping mechanism to set a consistent, repeatable teed ball height.

Background Art.

Golf is a game of precision, with many variables affecting a golfer's performance. The elimination of any one variable would presumably lead to greater enjoyment of the game. At the start of every hole a golfer may choose to place his/her ball on a tee, which is designed to hold the ball a certain distance above the ground so as to promote cleaner contact with the club head and more desired distance and direction. Golf tees are ubiquitous, and manufactured to various heights and thicknesses, as well as out of a variety of materials (wood dominates), and with a variety of finishes (paint dominates). Due to the unique nature of individual golfers, and the variety of club designs available, for each golfer the exact preferred height varies, but for each golfer it is desirable for the teed ball height to be consistent from hole to hole when the golfer is using the same club. The prior attempts at providing a means to ensure consistent, repeatable teed ball height can be grouped in several groupings. The first group is specially designed golf tees with accompanying stoppers, which only work with that particular tee. Examples of this grouping are U.S. patents 1 ,625,911 (Apr. 26, 1927) to Richards, 3,114,557 (Dec. 17, 1963) to Cabot, 3,203,700 (Aug. 31 , 1965) to Antonious, 3,408,079 (Oct. 29, 1968) to Kirikos, Des. 370,041 (May 21 , 1996) to Thomas, 5,571 ,055 (Nov. 5, 1996) to Lewis et al., 5,672,122 (Sep. 30, 1997) to Strong, Des. 413,640 (Sep. 7, 1999) to Fearer, III, 6,475,107 B1 (Nov. 5, 2002) to Sand, 6,729,977 B1 (May 4, 2004) to Young et al., and 2005/0026726 A1 (Feb. 3, 2005) to Barouh. These prior inventions are not designed to work with a standard, typical golf tee. As typical golf tees are readily available and provided for free or at a very low cost, the best solution for this problem of consistent, repeatable teed ball height is a device that works will all typical tees universally. The second group of prior attempts at providing a means to ensure consistent, repeatable teed ball height are tee-setting gauges with predetermined, specific height options. Examples of this grouping are U.S. patents 4,896,883 (Jan. 30, 1990) to Wagenknecht, 4,982,510 (Jan. 8, 1991) to Musillo, 5,370,388 (Dec. 6, 1994) to Wehner, and 5,735,758 (Apr. 7, 1998) to Miketinac. These prior inventions limit the user to the specific, gauge- defined height options which may or may not be the exact height that particular user requires.

The third group of prior attempts at providing a means to ensure consistent, repeatable teed ball height are tee sets with a variety of heights and/or the ability to combine parts to create a variety of heights. Examples of these types of systems are U.S. patents 6,186,907 (Feb. 13, 2001) to Woodward, and 6,267,235 (July 31, 2001) to Matias and Matias. These prior inventions carry both shortcomings identified for groups one and two — they limit the user to the specific heights provided by the set and also require the user to procure their non-standard teeing system, precluding the use of typical, ubiquitous golf tees in achieving consistent, repeatable teed ball height.

A final example of a prior attempt at providing a means to ensure consistent, repeatable teed ball height is U.S. patent 5,890,976 (Apr. 6, 1999) to Anderson. This device provides a means for identifying the preferred tee depth, but does not provide a positive stop for the teeing process. Additionally, with this device the user is required to discern, by looking at ground level, through blades of grass, when the line indicating the desired teed depth is in proper relation to the ground.

As evidenced here, the above attempts to provide a repeatable teed ball height do not provide a stopping function combined with the ability to be used with a typical golf tee.

Summary of the Invention.

In accordance with the present invention, a stopper, having a center aperture designed so as to slide over any size, typical golf tee while creating enough friction with the tee so as to act as a consistent, repeatable stop against the ground when teeing a golf ball in the manner described herein. Brief Description of the Drawings

In the accompanying drawings which form part of the specification:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 shows a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5a shows a perspective view of a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5b shows a perspective view of the fifth embodiment of the present invention showing the invention oriented to accept a golf tee. Figure 6 shows a perspective view of a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 7a shows a perspective view of a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 7b shows a perspective view of the seventh embodiment of the present invention oriented to allow the installation of a golf tee.

Figure 8 shows a perspective view of an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 9 shows a perspective view of a tee calibration device that may be used with the present invention. Figure 10 shows a perspective view of a golf tee showing calibration indicia that may be placed on golf tees used with the present invention.

Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding steps or parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

While one embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in the above referenced drawings and in the following description, it is understood that the embodiment shown is merely one example of a single preferred embodiment offered for the purpose of illustration only and that various changes in construction may be resorted to in the course of manufacture in order that the present invention may be - A -

utilized to the best advantage according to circumstances which may arise, without in any way departing from the spirit and intention of the present invention, which is to be limited only in accordance with the claims contained herein.

Best Modes for Carrying Out the Invention.

A preferred embodiment of the stopper A of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 1. In this embodiment, the stopper body 110, is between about 1 inch and about 1 3/4 inches wide in the longest direction, and between about 0.09 inch and about 0.13 inch in thickness. An aperture 112 is located at the center of the stopper 110. The diameter of the aperture 112 is determined by the characteristics of the material used to manufacture the stopper. In present embodiment, the stopper 110 is an elastomeric polymer, urethane, or rubber. When using any of those materials, the diameter of the aperture is between about 0.09 inch and about 0.13 inch. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the stopper 110 can also be fabricated from any materia! having the proper density, durometer, and memory to create the friction needed to maintain it's location on a tee, while at the same time being stiff enough to act as a stop against the ground during the teeing process.

The stopper 110 has a front edge 115A and a back edge 115 B. The front edge 115A and the back edge 115B are substantially concave to reduce tee breakage during use.

The manner of using the golf tee height stopper A is as follows. Referring now to FIG. 1 , the initial setup of the present invention requires a user to insert a golf tee (not shown) into the aperture 112 of the stopper 110. The user then slides or rotates the stopper 110, to a point close to where the user wishes the tee to stop when teeing a golf ball on the tee.

The user inserts the tee into the ground by pinching the tee between their thumb and index finger at the point directly above the stopper 110 and inserts the tee into the ground until the stopper contacts the ground. This insertion can be done while the ball is disposed on the head of the tee, or the ball can be placed on the head of the tee after the tee has been inserted into the ground. If the stopper 110 contacts the ground before the ball reaches the desired height, the user pushes downward on the tee until the head of the tee reaches the user's desired height. It is understood that during typical use the stopper 110 will stop when the stopper contacts the ground. If the desired ball height is achieved and the stopper 110 has not yet contacted the ground, the user may slide or rotate the stopper to reposition the stopper downward on the tee down the tee until it is in contact with the ground while the tee remains at the desired height. This final adjusted position is a signal to the user to indicate the positional relationship between the stopper 110 and the ball as needed to result in the insertion of the tee into the ground at a height that will place the ball at the height desired by the user.

It will be appreciated that once the proper positional relationship between the stopper 110 and the tee is determined, the user may take actions necessary to identify this proper positional relationship to ensure that when a different tee, or the same tee if the stopper is somehow dislocated, is inserted into the stopper, the same positional relationship is met. In one method, the proper positional relationship is identified for future use by removing the assembled stopper 110 and tee from the ground, without disturbing the positional relationship between the stopper and the tee, and then marking the longitudinal location of the stopper on the shaft of the tee with an appropriate marking device. This mark allows the user to relocate the stopper 110 should the positional relationship between the stopper and the tee is disturbed. Additionally, once an initial tee is properly marked, the user may place the tee in a tee calibrator as shown in FIG. 9 thereby noting the proper positional relationship between the stopper 110 and all other new tees that may be placed using the present invention. The tee calibrator is one method of assuring repeatability in the placement of the tee into the ground. That is, once the positional relationship is determined, the tee calibrator may be used to place a mark on all tees thus assuring the any new tee will be inserted into the ground to the same depth needed to allow a ball placed upon the head of the tee to be at the height desired by the user.

Additionally, as many golf tees are manufactured with printing on them, should a manufacturer choose to print calibration marks on the tee as shown in FIG 10, the user can identify which of the marks on the tee correlate to the user's preferred ball height.

Additional embodiments of the stopper 110 are shown in FIGS. 2 -8. It should be noted that while each embodiment includes small design differences, each embodiment achieves the same goal of providing a stopper that can be used to repeatably place a golf tee into the ground in a manner that achieves a consistent ball height for the user. These embodiments differ only in the method of attaching the stopper 110 to the tee. For example, the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is generally the same at that shown in FIG 1 except the body 210 of the stopper 110 is in the general shape of a disc. Additionally, in this embodiment, the disc includes two generally parallel joints 214 located at substantially the same distance from the center of the stopper 110. The two generally parallel joints 214 help absorb pressure that the ground puts on the tee after the club head has contacted the ball as the user swings his golf club at the ball. As a result, the two generally parallel joints 214 act to reduce detrimental pressure on the tee and thus tends to reduce breakage of the tee.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the stopper 110 includes a body 310 in the general shape of a disc and an aperture 312 for insertion of the golf tee. In this embodiment, there are no flex joints and the golf tee is inserted into the aperture 312 as needed to achieve the ball height desired by the user.

The embodiment of FIG. 4 is the same as the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 with the exception that the stopper 110 includes an aperture lining 412 that allows a disc 410 to be made from plastic or other material while allowing the aperture lining 412 to made of a material such elastomeric polymer, urethane, rubber, or other suitable material. That is to say, the use of material more resilient that plastic to make the aperture lining 412 allows the tee to be more positively held in position when the tee is inserted into the stopper 110.

FIGS. 5a and 5b show another alternate embodiment of the present invention that includes a body 510 in the general shape of a disc with a slit 518 radiating from opposite sides of an aperture 512. Flexing the body 510, as shown in FIG 5b causes the aperture 512 to enlarge slightly thereby making it easier to install and position the stopper 110 on the golf tee.

FIG. 6 shows yet another alternate embodiment of the present invention that includes a body 610 with a volcano-like protrusion 620 to provide increased strength and stability to the stopper A. This protrusion 620 also tends to spread the force created by interaction of the stopper A and the golf tee with the ground over a greater area of the tee stem after the club head has contacted the ball, thereby tending to reduce breakage of the golf tee.

FIGS. 7a and 7b show an alternative embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7a shows this embodiment in its normal orientation, while FIG. 7b shows this embodiment when a golf tee is being inserted. This embodiment comprises a body 710 in the general shape of a disc and a flex joint 714 located generally at the centerline of the body 710. The flex joint 714 allows the body to be opened to allow the placement of a golf tee within an aperture 712. In alternative of the present embodiment, the body 710 includes an aperture lining 716 that is composed of an elastomeric polymer, urethane, rubber, or other suitable material, to facilitate maintaining the location of the body 710 on the tee. This allows the body 710 to be composed of plastic or other material more suitable for the stopping function. This embodiment also includes at least one retainer 722 and at least one opening 724 in the body 710. In operation, one end of the at least one retainers 722 is disengaged from its mating at least one opening 724, and the body 710 is folded at flex joint 714 to allow the aperture 712 to open in a manner that allows the insertion of a golf tee into the aperture. After the golf tee has been inserted into the aperture 712, the body 710 is returned to its unfolded orientation and the at least one retainer 722 is engaged into at least one opening 724. FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of the present invention that includes a body

810 with an alternative method of holding the golf tee in the stopper A. In this embodiment, the disc 810 is generally circular in shape and includes a flex joint 814 at one point on the circumference of the disc that allows the disc to open as two halves 816. A locking finger 822 is attached to one of the halves 816 and is generally located opposite the flex joint 814. The locking finger 822 is sized and shaped to engage in a receptacle 824 located in the other of the two halves 816. The locking finger 822 has a generally arcuate shape sized and shaped to match a similar arcuate shape on the receptacle. In this embodiment, the locking finger 822 is disengaged from the receptacle 824 and one half of the disc 810 is rotated away from the other half of the disc 810 along the flex joint 814. The golf tee is inserted into the aperture 812, and the first half of the disc 810 is rotated in an opposite direction until the locking finger 822 engages with the receptacle 824, thereby holding the golf within the aperture 816. It is understood that the materials used in all of the above embodiments are substantially the same as described in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4 as applicable. It is also understood that while the flex joints shown and used in each of the above embodiments comprises a generally V-shaped groove within the stopper, the flex joints can be in various other forms such as, without limitation, taped hinges, rubber hinges, or metallic hinges as long as the form of the flex joint selected meets the operational and physical characteristics as required herein. It is also understood that while the shape of the stopper can be similar to those as described herein, the shape of the stopper may also be irregular. For example, the stopper could be made in the shape of the trademark logo of a business and still remain within the scope of the present invention as long as the function of the stopper remains as described above.

While the above description describes various embodiments of the present invention, it will be clear that the present invention may be otherwise easily adapted to fit any configuration where a device to control the height of a golf tee is required. Additionally, as various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is also intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. The scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given.

Claims

Claims.

1. A golf tee placement device comprising: a stopper; an aperture located in the stopper, wherein the aperture is sized and configured to slideably communicate with a golf tee to thereby install the golf tee in the stopper at a preferred position for installation of the golf tee into a surface.

2. The golf tee placement device of claim 1 wherein the stopper has a shape that is at least one of either a square, a rectangle, a circle, a triangle, a polygon, a semicircle, or an irregular shape wherein the aperture is located substantially in the center of the stopper, wherein the stopper is between about 1.0 inch and about 1.7 inches wide in its longest direction, wherein the stopper has an average thickness of between about 0.09 inch and about 0.13 inch, and wherein the aperture has a general diameter of between about 0.09 inch and about 0.13 inch.

3. The golf tee placement device of claim 2 wherein the stopper is in the general shape of a rectangle wherein two opposite sides of the rectangle are generally concave and two other sides of the rectangle or generally convex.

4. The golf tee placement device of claim 2 wherein the stopper has a shape that is generally circular.

5. The golf tee placement device of claim 4 wherein the stopper has at least two flex joints that are generally parallel and located perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the aperture, and wherein the at least two flex joints are located on the plane of the stopper such that the aperture is located between, and generally equidistant from, the at least two flex joints.

6. The golf tee placement device of claim 5 further comprising a slit located in the stopper, wherein the longitudinal axis of the slit aligns with an axis of the aperture, wherein the length of the slit is between about 0.19 inch and about 0.38 inch, and wherein the slit length is centered on the aperture axis.

7. The golf tee placement device of claim 2 wherein the stopper has a shape that is generally a circle.

8. The golf tee placement device of claim 7 further comprising an aperture lining disposed within the aperture wherein the size and configuration of the aperture and the aperture liner is such that an opening in the aperture liner is sized and configured to slideably communicate with a golf tee to thereby install the golf tee in the stopper at a preferred position for installation of the golf tee into a surface.

9. The golf tee placement device of claim 7 wherein the center of the disc is in the general shape of a truncated cone and wherein the aperture is located substantially in the center of the truncated cone and the disc.

10. The golf tee placement device of claim 2 further comprising a body in the general shape of a disc, a flex joint located generally at the centerline of the body to allow the body to be opened to allow placement of the golf tee within the aperture.

11. The golf tee placement device of claim 10 further comprising an aperture lining disposed within the aperture, the aperture lining being composed of a material that is at least one of either elastomeric polymer, urethane, or rubber to thereby facilitate maintaining the location of the body on the golf tee.

12. The golf tee placement device of claim 11 further comprising at least one retainer and at least one opening in the body wherein the at least one retainer can be engaged from its at least one opening such that the body can be folded at the flex joint to allow the aperture to open in a manner that allows the insertion of the golf tee into the aperture.

13. The golf tee placement device of claim 2 further comprising a body that is generally disc-shaped, and a flex joint located on the circumference of the disc that allows the disc to open as substantially two halves of the body.

14. The golf tee placement device of claim 13 further comprising a locking finger attached to one of the halves of the body such that the locking finger is generally located opposite the flex joint, and wherein the locking finger is sized and shaped to engage in a receptacle located in the other of the two halves of the body.

15. The golf tee placement device of claim 14 wherein the locking finger has a generally arcuate shape that is sized and shaped to match a similar arcuate shape on the receptacle.

16. A process of placing a golf tee into a surface comprising the steps of : providing a stopper having a predetermined shape and thickness, the stopper having an aperture that is located substantially in the center of the stopper, the aperture being sized and shaped to slideably grasp a golf tee; inserting the golf tee through the aperture to locate the stopper at a point on the golf tee that will allow a user to install the golf tee onto a surface such that the golf tee will hold a golf ball at a height desired by the user; and inserting the golf tee into a surface until the stopper prevents the golf tee from being further inserted into the surface.

17. The process of claim 16 wherein the inside diameter of the aperture is made from a material that is at least one of either an elastomeric polymer, a urethane, or a rubber.

18. A golf placement device comprising: means for locating a golf tee within a substantially flat golf tee holder; and means for insertion of the golf tee into a surface such that the inserted golf tee will hold a golf ball at a height desired by a user.