WO2014125512A1

WO2014125512A1 - Synthetic elongated element for supporting surfaces for practicing golf, and mat for practicing golf composed of a plurality of synthetic modular elements equipped with such synthetic elongated elements

Info

Publication number: WO2014125512A1
Application number: PCT/IT2014/000012
Authority: WO
Inventors: Roberto GUALA
Original assignee: Golf G-Mat S.R.L.
Priority date: 2013-02-14
Filing date: 2014-01-15
Publication date: 2014-08-21
Also published as: ITTO20130125A1

Abstract

A synthetic elongated element (5) is described for supporting surfaces (1) for practicing golf, which: is adapted to provide an elastic resistance to the impact force applied by a golf iron (9) non-linearly increasing upon approaching a rigid base (3) of the supporting surface (1) on which the synthetic elongated elements (5) are placed; is placed on the rigid base (3) so that the golf iron (9) when impacting against the supporting surface (1) does not touch the rigid base (3); and is adapted to be produced in a single piece with the rigid base (3) through a single injection moulding step, for making the complete and finished supporting surface (1). A mat (18) is also described for practicing golf, composed of a plurality of synthetic modular elements (16) equipped with such synthetic elongated elements (5), wherein a reinforcing element (12) placed next to the rigid base (3) being an annular element adapted to mutually connect at least two synthetic elongated element.

Description

SYNTHETIC ELONGATED ELEMENT FOR SUPPORTING SURFACES FOR PRACTICING GOLF, AND MAT FOR PRACTICING GOLF COMPOSED OF A PLURALITY OF SYNTHETIC MODULAR ELEMENTS EQUIPPED WITH SUCH SYNTHETIC ELONGATED ELEMENTS The present invention refers to a synthetic elongated element for supporting surfaces for practicing golf, to a synthetic modular element composed of a plurality of such synthetic elongated elements, and to a mat for practicing golf composed of a plurality of such synthetic modular elements.

The art related to this field provides for making mats made of synthetic grass for practicing golf which are composed of individual synthetic grass tufts having the same length and diameter, placed on surfaces with the same shape and thickness, all of a complex realisation, requiring the arrangement and grouping of the individual grass tufts through long, difficult and costly mechanical coupling .operations. Some examples of such prior solutions can be found in documents US- A-5848940, US-A-20090011873, WO-A-04037356 and US- A-6219965.

Document US-A-5292130 discloses a modular element for making surfaces for practicing golf which provides for the mechanical insertion of synthetic grass tufts with the same length and diameter into suitable holes obtained on the surface to be transformed in a grass mantle.

Object of the present invention is solving the above prior art problems, by providing a synthetic elongated element which gives an elastic resistance to the force applied by a golf iron such that it can be used both by professional golfers, and by amateur golfers, being able to change such resistance in order to make it suitable for the capability level of individual players.

A further object of the present invention is providing a synthetic elongated element for supporting surfaces for practicing golf as described above, which allows the chance of composing the above surfaces due to the injection moulding of elements composed of different resistances, with areas of different resistance to the impact of the golf clubs; such feature, de facto, allows the player to experiment different types of surfaces on the same area of practice, simulating what occurs on the real grass mantle. This peculiarity also satisfies the object of providing golf teachers and trainers with the chance of practicing and experimenting surfaces with different consistence to their pupils, and consequent different response of the golf clubs.

A further object of the present invention is providing a synthetic elongated element for supporting surfaces for practicing golf as described above, which can be made through a single injection moulding phase, therefore reducing manufacturing times and costs.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention, as will appear from the following description, are obtained with a synthetic elongated element for supporting surfaces for practicing golf as claimed in claim 1. Preferred embodiments and non-trivial variations of the present invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

It is intended that the claims are an integral part of the present description.

The present invention will be better described by some preferred embodiments thereof, provided as a non limiting example, with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the supporting surface with synthetic elongated elements according to the present invention, such embodiment also corresponding to a first possible synthetic modular element according to the present invention;

- Figures 2 to 6 are side views of various embodiments of the synthetic elongated element of the invention, which show its possible arrangement for obtaining the objects for which it is provided;

- Figure 7 is a view similar to the one of Figure

1 in which the resistance offered by the supporting surface upon impact with a golf iron, is shown;

- Figure 8 is an exploded perspective view of a mat according to the present invention;

- Figure 9 is a perspective view of the mat of Figure 8;

- Figure 10 is a perspective view of an assembly containing six synthetic elongated elements of the present invention, as variations with respect to what has been previously shown;

Figure 11 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the supporting surface with synthetic elongated elements according to the present invention, such embodiment also corresponding to a second possible synthetic modular element according to the present invention;

Figure 12 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the supporting surface with synthetic elongated elements according to the present invention, such embodiment also corresponding to a third possible synthetic modular element according to the present invention;

Figure 13 is a sectional view of the synthetic modular element of Figure 11;

Figure 14 is a perspective and detailed view of the synthetic modular element of Figure 11; and Figures 15 and 16 respectively show a side sectional view and an enlarged view thereof, of another preferred embodiment of the final arrangement of a mat and its synthetic modular elements .

With reference to the Figures, preferred embodiments of the synthetic elongated element for supporting surfaces for practicing golf, of the related synthetic modular element and of the related mat according to the present invention, are shown and described. It will be immediately obvious that numerous variations and modifications (for example related to shape, sizes, arrangements and parts with equivalent functionality) could be made to what is described, without departing from the scope of the invention as appears from the enclosed claims .

With reference to the Figures, the synthetic elongated element 5 for supporting surfaces 1 for practicing golf of the present invention has various features.

The first feature is that it is adapted to provide an elastic resistance to the impact force applied by a golf iron 9, such elastic resistance being non-linearly increasing upon approaching the rigid base 3 of the supporting surface 1 on which the synthetic elongated elements 5 are placed.

The second feature is that such element 5 is placed on the rigid base 3 so that the golf iron 9, when impacting against the supporting surface 1, does not touch the rigid base 3 itself.

The third feature is that a plurality of such synthetic elongated elements 5 are adapted to be produced in a single piece with the rigid base 3 through a single injection moulding step, for making the complete and finished supporting surface 1.

For realising the first feature, the inventive synthetic elongated element 5 has a decreasing cross section starting from the contact point with the rigid base 3 till its opposite terminal end, the cross section of the contact point of the elongated element 5 with the rigid base 3 being greater than the section of its opposite terminal end.

Correspondingly, always for realising the prima feature, the central longitudinal section of every elongated element 5 is non-linearly decreasing starting from the contact point with the rigid base 3 and till the opposite terminal end.

Several non-limiting examples of how the longitudinal section of an elongated element 5 changes are shown in Figures 2 to 6: all these arrangements allow providing a greater or smaller resistance to the force of the iron 9 according to the initial and final thickness of the section of the element 5.

The third feature is obtained with a single injection moulding phase of plastic materials, made possible by the particular arrangement of the whole supporting structure 1, which is usually provided as modular, namely with a rigid base 3 adapted to be operatively coupled with other rigid bases 3 of similar supporting structures 1, to obtain the final golf practice plane.

For realising the second feature, the synthetic elongated element 5 of the invention can be simply shaped in order to provide a contact section with the base 3 which is so wide as to prevent the iron 9 from getting in contact with the base 3; or, the element 5 can be equipped with a reinforcing element 7, 12, 14 which is placed next to the rigid base 3 from the opposite part with respect to the upper end of each of the synthetic elongated elements 5.

Such reinforcing element 7, 12, 14 can be made in various modes and arrangements, some of which will be described below. For example, the reinforcing element 7 is made as a socket (as shown in Figures 2 to 6) of variable height and in different shapes, in order to obtain different resistance levels, according to the capabilities of the golf player by whom it has to be used: also in this case, in fact, the socket 7 allows providing a greater resistance for professional golfers, or, if of smaller sizes, a corresponding lower resistance for amateur golfers. The impact with a golf iron 9 against a surface with a strong resistance (therefore suitable for professional golfers) can be well seen in Figure 7.

As other preferred, but not limiting, example, shown in Figures 10 to 14, the reinforcing element 12 can be an annular element adapted to mutually connect at least two, and preferably five or six (as shown) , synthetic elongated elements 5, in order to form a cylinder which mutually joins such synthetic elongated elements 5.

This annular reinforcing element 12 has a variable height according to the resistance to be obtained for every synthetic elongated element 5; such height preferably, but absolutely not in a limiting way, ranges from 3 mm to 20 mm depending on a preferable height of 30 mm of the synthetic elongated element 5.

Moreover, the annular reinforcing element 12 could be made as a ring (not shown) placed in a lifted position with respect to the rigid base 3, in order to mutually join a plurality of synthetic elongated elements 5, or (as shown) be placed in contact with the rigid base 3 and extend vertically upwards starting therefrom. Figures 11 to 14 show an example, also in this case a not limiting one, wherein various annular reinforcing elements 12 are placed mutually side by side with different height, mutually increasing and decreasing according to the different resistance that has to be obtained in specific points or areas of the supporting surface 1.

As further non-limiting example, the reinforcing element 14 can be a rib adapted to mutually connect at least two synthetic elongated elements 5.

In particular, the rib 14, in order to further improve the above elastic resistance required for this application, can be equipped with two raised edges 15, placed each next to its respective end in contact with one of the synthetic elongated elements 5.

In the configuration shown in Figures 10 to 14, which is the non-limiting, but currently preferred, a mixed solution is shown, which provides for both variations of reinforcing elements 12 and 14 made together: in this case, as shown, the rib 14 mutually connects at least two (in the case as shown, all groups) groups of synthetic elongated elements 5 mutually joined by respective annular reinforcing elements 12.

Also in this case, the rib 14 has a variable height according to the resistance to be obtained for every synthetic elongated element 5, such height preferably, but absolutely not in a limiting way, ranging from 1 mm to 3 mm depending on a preferable height of 30 mm of the synthetic elongated element 5.

Still preferably, the rib 14 is made in contact with the rigid base 3 and extends vertically upwards starting therefrom.

As shown in a non-limiting example in the enclosed Figures, the inventive synthetic elongated element 5 is preferably made of a shape similar to a glass blade and is grouped on the rigid base 3 with other synthetic elongated elements 5 in order to make grass tuft structures with circular, or ellipsoidal, or quadrangular, or polygonal, cross section or the like.

The invention also deals with a synthetic modular element 16 for a supporting surface 1 for practicing golf, composed of a plurality of synthetic elongated elements 5 as described above and as shown in Figure 1 or 7, connected to the rigid base 3.

In the embodiment shown, all synthetic modular elements 16 have the rigid base 3 with the square shape with undulated edges, but obviously other geometric shapes of the base 3 itself are possible.

The invention finally deals with a mat 18 for practicing golf, composed of a plurality of synthetic modular elements 16 as described above, placed mutually flanked on their respective sides.

Such mat 18 can be made by mutually joining synthetic modular elements 16 of the same shape on the base 3, ma also with bases 3 of different shapes, which can obviously composed and modulated at will.

The mat 18 of the invention can further comprise at least one supporting base 20 above which the synthetic modular elements 16 are placed and fastened (through various fastening techniques, such as for example gluing, screwing - using the projections 21 for containing screws 21', made for such purposes onto the rigid bases 3, or other techniques) .

Moreover, the above described mat 18 can be equipped with at least two lateral listels 22, each placed on one of the due opposite operating sides (the term "operating sides" designating the sides next to which the golf player places himself to strike the ball with the club 9) of the mat 18, for the protection of the synthetic modular elements 16 and of the synthetic elongated elements 5 from any type of undesired stroke, especially coming from the golf clubs when playing.

In order to complete the seal, and also due to aesthetic reasons, the above described mat 18 could also be further equipped with at least two front listels (not shown) , each placed on one of the two non-operating opposite sides of the mat 18, perpendicular to the operating sides of the mat 18, also here for the protection of the synthetic modular elements 16 and of the synthetic elongated elements 5 from undesired strokes, or in order to provide general reinforcement and compactness to the mat 18 itself.

According to a final, absolutely non-limiting, operating embodiment, the mat 18 of the invention could be composed of three parallel rows and nine parallel columns of synthetic modular elements 16, the first two columns and the last two columns, namely the two side columns on every side, of the mat 18 being composed of synthetic modular elements 16 having an elastic resistance to the impact force of the golf iron 9 which is much greater than the elastic resistance to the impact force of the golf iron 9 provided by the synthetic modular elements 16 of the five central columns of the mat 18.

As one of the numerous possible alternatives to the above configuration, the mat 18 of the invention could instead be composed of three parallel rows and a like number of parallel columns of synthetic modular elements 16, half of the columns of the mat 18 being composed of synthetic modular elements 16 having an elastic resistance to the impact force of the golf iron 9 much greater than the elastic resistance to the impact force of the golf iron 9 provided by the synthetic modular elements 16 of the other adjacent half of the columns of the mat 18.

Finally, Figures 15 and 16 respectively show a side sectional view and an enlarged view thereof, of another preferred embodiment of the final arrangement of a mat 18 and its synthetic modular elements 16.

In these Figures, the supporting base 20 of the plurality of synthetic modular elements 16 is shown equipped both with a pair of perimeter stopper elements 52 and with a pair of chutes 54 (oriented downwards starting from the stopper elements 52 and ending towards the centre of the supporting base 20) which are adapted to provide the supporting base 20 itself with the feature of moving the golf ball 50, when it is placed thereon, towards the centre of the mat 18 placed onto the supporting base 20.

This obviously facilitates the handling operation of a user, who, in order to place the golf ball 50 in its best position for being hit (which is a central position on the mat 18 furthest away from the stopper elements 52) without having every time to bend himself, simply places the golf ball 50 on the mat 18, with the chutes 54 in the supporting base 20 which makes the golf ball 50 itself roll towards the centre of the supporting base 20, without any additional effort from the user .

As clearly appears from what has been described above, and due to the freedom of connection of the synthetic elongated elements 5 to the rigid base 3, for the freedom of realising the synthetic modular elements 16 and for the freedom of shaping the mats 18 made by mutually joining such synthetic modular elements 16, it is immediately clear to a technician in the art that the invention as described above can be made in very many possible configurations, all equipped with the above described features, but with several degrees of freedom in all its possible final use arrangements.

Claims

1. Synthetic elongated element (5) for supporting surfaces (1) for practicing golf, wherein said synthetic elongated element (5) :

- is adapted to provide an elastic resistance to the impact force applied by a golf iron (9) , such elastic resistance being non-linearly increasing upon approaching the rigid base (3) of the supporting surface (1) on which the synthetic elongated elements (5) are placed;

- is placed on the rigid base (3) so that the golf iron (9), when impacting against the supporting surface (1), does not touch the rigid base (3) ; and

- is adapted to be produced in a single piece with the rigid base (3) through a single injection moulding step, for making the complete and finished supporting surface (1); characterised in that it is equipped with a reinforcing element (7, 12, 14) which is placed next to said rigid base (3) from the opposite part with respect to the upper end of each of said synthetic elongated elements (5) , said reinforcing element (12) being an annular element adapted to mutually connect at least two, and preferably five or six, synthetic elongated elements (5), in order to form a cylinder which mutually joins said synthetic elongated elements (5), said synthetic elongated element (5) being made in a shape similar to a grass blade and being grouped on the rigid base (3) with other synthetic elongated elements (5) in order to make grass tuft structures with circular, or ellipsoidal, or quadrangular, or polygonal cross section.

2. Synthetic elongated element (5) according to claim 1, characterised in that its cross section is decreasing starting from the contact point with the rigid base (3) till its opposite terminal end, the cross section of the contact point of the elongated element (5) with the rigid base (3) being greater than the section of its opposite terminal end.

3. Synthetic elongated element (5) according to claim 1, characterised in that its longitudinal section is non-linearly decreasing starting from the contact point with the rigid base (3) and till the opposite terminal end.

4. Synthetic elongated element (5) according to claim 1, characterised in that said reinforcing element (7) is made as a socket of variable height and with different shapes, in order to obtain different resistance levels, according to the capabilities of the golf player by whom it must be used.

5. Synthetic elongated element (5) according to claim 1, characterised in that said annular reinforcing element (12) has a variable height according to the resistance to be obtained for every synthetic elongated element (5), such height ranging preferably from 3 mm to 20 mm depending on a preferable height of 30 mm of said synthetic elongated element (5) .

6. Synthetic elongated element (5) according to claim 5, characterised in that said annular reinforcing element (12) is in contact with said rigid base (3) and extends vertically upwards starting therefrom.

7. Synthetic elongated element (5) according to claim 1, characterised in that said reinforcing element (14) is a rib adapted to mutually connect at least two synthetic elongated elements (5).

8. Synthetic elongated element (5) according to claim 7, characterised in that said rib (14) is equipped with two raised edges (15), each placed next to its respective end in contact with one of the synthetic elongated elements (5) .

9. Synthetic elongated element (5) according to any one of claims 2 to 10, characterised in that said rib (14) mutually connects at least two groups of synthetic elongated elements (5) mutually joined by said annular reinforcing element (12) .

10. Synthetic elongated element (5) according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterised in that said rib (14) has a variable height according to the resistance to be obtained for every synthetic elongated element (5) , such height ranging preferably from 1 mm to 3 mm depending on a preferable height of 30 mm of said synthetic elongated element (5) .

11. Synthetic elongated element (5) according to any one of claims 7 to 10, characterised in that said rib (14) is in contact with said rigid base (3) and extends vertically upwards starting therefrom.

12. Synthetic modular element (16) for a supporting surface (1) for practicing golf, characterised in that it is composed of a plurality of synthetic elongated elements (5) according to any one of the previous claims, connected to said rigid base (3) .

13. Mat (18) for practicing golf, characterised in that it is composed of a plurality of synthetic modular elements (16) for a supporting surface (1) for practicing golf, each of said synthetic modular elements (16) being composed of a plurality of synthetic elongated elements (5) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, connected to said rigid base (3), said synthetic modular elements (16) being placed mutually flanked on their respective sides.

14. Mat (18) according to claim 13, characterised in that it further comprises at least one supporting base (20) above which said synthetic modular elements (16) are placed and fastened.

15. Mat (18) according to claim 13 or 14, characterised in that it is further equipped with at least two lateral listels (22), each placed on one of the two opposite operating sides of the mat (18), for the protection of the synthetic modular elements (16) and of the synthetic elongated elements (5) from undesired strokes, especially coming from golf clubs.

16. Mat (18) according to claim 15, characterised in that it is further equipped with at least two front listels, each placed on one of the two non- operating opposite sides of the mat (18), perpendicular to the operating sides of the mat (18), for the protection of the synthetic modular elements (16) and of the synthetic elongated elements (5) from undesired strokes, especially coming from golf clubs.

17. Mat (18) according to any one of claims 13 to 16, characterised in that it is composed of three parallel rows and nine parallel columns of synthetic modular elements (16), the first two columns and the last two columns, namely the two lateral columns on each side, of said mat (18) being composed of synthetic modular elements (16) having an elastic resistance to the impact force of the golf iron (9) much greater than the elastic resistance to the impact force of the golf iron (9) provided by the synthetic modular elements (16) of the five central columns of said mat (18).

18. Mat (18) according to any one of claims 13 to 16, characterised in that it is composed of three parallel rows and a like number of parallel columns of synthetic modular elements (16) , half of the columns of said mat (18) being composed of synthetic modular elements (16) having an elastic resistance to the impact force of the golf iron (9) much greater than the elastic resistance to the impact force of the golf iron (9) provided by the synthetic modular elements (16) of the other adjacent half of the columns of said mat (18).

18. Mat (18) according to any one of claims 14 to 17, characterised in that said supporting base (20) is equipped both with a pair of perimeter stopper elements (52) and with a pair of chutes (54), said chutes (54) being oriented downwards starting from said stopper elements (52) and ending towards a centre of said supporting base (20) , said chutes (54) being adapted to provide said supporting base (20) with a feature of moving a golf ball (50), when it is placed thereon, towards the centre of said golf mat (18) placed onto said supporting base (20) .