WO2022180436A1

WO2022180436A1 - Ball support

Info

Publication number: WO2022180436A1
Application number: PCT/IB2021/052916
Authority: WO
Inventors: Louis AYLWARD
Original assignee: Aylward Louis
Priority date: 2021-02-24
Filing date: 2021-04-08
Publication date: 2022-09-01

Abstract

This invention relates to a ball support (1) and more particularly, but not exclusively, to a ball support for supporting a golf ball (9). The ball support includes a ball support part (2) at a first part of a biasing means (3) and an anchor part (4) at a second part of the biasing means (3). The biasing means being moveable from a first rest position in which forces acting on the biasing means are balanced so that it remains in rest towards a second extreme extended position in which the biasing means is at least partially extended against its inherent bias as a result of an unbalanced force applied to the biasing means in that direction, the biasing means remaining biased to a rest position.

Description

BALL SUPPORT

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates a ball support and more particularly, but not exclusively, to a ball support for supporting a golf ball.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

A golf tee is used to support and elevate a golf ball from a surface prior to a golf player playing a first stroke.

In a first example of a prior art golf tee, the tee is an elongate piece of wood or plastic with an enlarged funnel shaped head for receiving a bottom of the golf ball in a gaping upper, open end of the funnel. A lower section of the tee is pushed into soil, a golf mat or the like so that the tee is supported in an upright position.

A second example of a prior art embodiment is shown in figure 1 and is available at AliExpress (https://www.aliexpress.eom/i/4000037483157.html). This golf tee has a spike connected with a piece of rope to a ball support body. The ball support body rests freely on grass, soil, a golf mat or the like and elevates and support a golf ball. The height of the ball support is adjustable. In use, the spike is pushed into grass, soil, golf mat or the like. A third example of a prior art a golf tee is shown in figure 2 and is available at AliExpress (https://www.aliexpress.eom/i/32952894574.html). The golf tee has a ball support body, an anchor and a rope. The rope connects the anchor and ball support. Both the ball support body and anchor are secured in soil, grass, a golf mat or the like.

Both the examples shown in figures 1 and 2 are used for training to strike a golf ball supported on a tee. When a golf player strikes the golf ball which rests on the ball support body, the ball support body may travel a distance together with the travelling ball. The rope, of which one end is secured to the spike or anchor, limits the distance which the ball support body travels. The anchor or spike, ball support body and rope are separate parts and are manufactured separately and are assembled after manufacture. This may increase the cost and time duration of the manufacturing process. The ropes shown in figures 1 or 2 are not resiliently extendable and cause an abrupt change of velocity of a travelling ball support body. This abrupt change causes unnecessary strain on the different parts of these golf tees, especially where they are connected to each other.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of this invention to provide a ball support which, at least partially, alleviates some of the abovementioned difficulties. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with this invention there is provided a ball support comprising a ball support part at a first part of a biasing means and an anchor part at a second part of the biasing means, the biasing means being moveable from a first rest position in which forces acting on the biasing means are balanced so that it remains in rest towards a second extreme extended position in which the biasing means is at least partially extended against its inherent bias as a result of an unbalanced force applied to the biasing means in that direction, the biasing means remaining biased to a rest position.

The biasing means is extendable when an extension force is applied thereto.

There is provided for the anchor part to be at a free end of the connection means.

There is provided for the anchor part to have anchor receiving means.

There is provided for the anchor part to include an anchor.

There is further provided for the anchor to be a spike, a hook and loop fastener, a weight, or any other securing means.

There is provided for the anchor part to terminate into a spike, a screw or a nail. There is provided for the spike, screw or nail to be integral with the anchor part.

There is provided for the anchor to be made from a material, for example a porous plastics material, which would not damage a blade of an electrical apparatus, for example a lawn mower, should the blade come in contact with the anchor.

There is provided for the biasing means to have a preformed shape.

There is provided for the preformed shape to be a concertina formation; alternatively, a zig-zag formation; further alternatively, to be elongate, multiple curved.

There is provided for the biasing means to be elastic, to be made of a resiliently deformable material, to be made of silicone or rubber or the like.

There is provided for the ball support to be a made in one manufacturing process, preferably, to be moulded as an integral unit.

There is further provided for the ball support part and biasing means to be made from the same material, for example, an elastomer or silicone.

There is further provided for part of the ball support to be made from an elastomer. The height of the ball support part may differ for allowing a player to select a height desired for specific striking conditions.

The height of the ball support part may have adjustment means, for example, telescoping adjustment means.

There is further provided for the ball support means to have an opening for receiving a secondary ball support means.

There is provided for the secondary ball support means to be a golf tee.

There is provided for the ball support to have attachment means.

There is further provided for the attachment means to be a magnet attached to the ball support part or partially or fully imbedded therein.

There is further provided for the magnet to be flat, ring shaped or any other shape, for example, square or rectangular or elongate.

There is further provided for the magnet to be attachable to a metal plate, bent to form a hook to hook onto part of a golf bag or to a metal part of a golf club or to any other metal surface.

Could be any shape which may be best suited at the time of manufacture. These and other features of the invention are described in more detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS One embodiment the invention is described below, by way of example only, with reference to the drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a front left perspective view of a ball support; Figure 2 shows a top view of the ball support;

Figure 3 shows a top view of the ball support moving from a first position to a second position; Figure 4 shows a bottom view of the ball support;

Figure 5 shows a sectional left side view of the ball support, secured to the ground; Figure 6 shows a front left perspective view of the ball support with a ball resting on part of the ball support;

Figure 7 shows a front left perspective view of the ball support with a tee secured to part of the ball support; Figure 8 show a left side view of the ball support;

Figure 9 shows the ball support secured to a golf bag;

Figure 10 shows a golf player prior to striking a golf ball which rests on part of the ball support; and

Figure 11 shows the golf player and the ball support after striking the golf ball.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

With reference to the drawings, a ball support is generally indicated by reference numeral 1 .

The ball support 1 has a ball support part 2 at a first end of a biasing means 3 and an anchor part 4 at a second, opposite end of the biasing means 3.

The biasing means 3 is an elongate length of elastomer that is curved eight times to form eight C-shaped curved sections connected end-to-end. The curved sections shorten the effective length of the elastomer. In this example it is eight but it could be shorter or longer depending on the T height. It may be less curved depending on the T height. The ball support part 2 has a disc 5 extending from the first end of the biasing means 3. An upper edge of the disc 5 is chamfered. An elevation means 6 extends centrally operatively upwards from an upper surface of the disc 5. The elevation means 6 is cylindrically shaped. An upper surface of the elevation means 7 is concave. A bore 7 extends centrally through the elevation means 6 and disc 5. A marking will be embossed in the disc 5 to indicate the height 11 of the elevation means 6.

A magnet 8 is imbedded in a lower part of the disc 5. The magnet 8 is a flat, ring-shaped magnet.

The anchor part 4 has an anchor 13 extending from a second end of the basing means/elongate elastomer 3. The anchor 13 is a spike extending operatively downwards.

In use, the spike is pushed into grass of a golf course to secure the ball support in the grass. Bottom surfaces of the biasing means and disc rest on the grass. The biasing means is biased towards its most retracted position but remains in a rest in that the friction forces of the grass balances the retracting biasing forces. In its rest position, the elastomer may thus be at its most retracted or shortest length or may be at a longer length than its shortest length but, will in most cases in use, in its rest position still be shorter than its most extended position or a more extended position towards its most extended position. When the biasing means is in its rest position, a golf ball is placed onto the concave surface of the elevation means. A player strikes the ball with a golf club. The ball moves in a first direction. The movement of the ball and/or the golf club that may impact with the ball support, causes the ball support part to move in the first direction. The forces acting on the ball support part causes the attached biasing means to extend, at least initially in the direction of movement of the ball and/or golf club. As the biasing means lengthens under these unbalanced forces, it starts arresting the movement until it reaches an extended position or its most extended position and is again pulled back in the direction of its bias towards its rest position. The biasing means and golf ball support thus again comes to rest at its most retracted position or at a position more than its most retracted position but shorter than the maximum length it reaches in the process of arresting and reversing the movement of the ball support part.

A golf player may now again place a ball on the elevation means of the ball support part, or if the ball support part is inverted or at an undesired angle, place the ball support part upright, and proceed to drive another golf ball from the elevation means. The use of the anchor in the biasing means ensures that the ball support part remains close enough to the golf player to easily reset balls thereon after the execution of each shot.

The ball support can be stored against a golf cart or any other metal surface using the magnet in the ball support. This is shown in figure 9.

It is envisaged that the invention herein described will be convenient to use in that the ball support part forms a golf tee that is rarely damaged and remains in close proximity to the golf player as a result of the biasing means and anchor means. A golf golfer may also have one or more of ball supports, with ball support parts of different heights, when playing golf. The golf player may then use the ball support with the most suitable height required for a specific situation.

The ball support part will be made at various heights so that the golfer may choose the best height in a situation and depending on which golf club he/she chooses to use in a situation, which is best suited for a specific situation, for example using a driver or three wood off a T-box for a long drive or a shorter ball support on a short hole with a shorted club to be utilised.

In another method of use of the ball support, instead of using the ball elevation means, a golf player may insert a prior art tee through the bore in the elevation means and then place the ball on the prior art tee. The use of such a tee is shown in figure 7.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many other alternative embodiments are possible without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the length of the elevation means may differ or may even be telescopically adjustable. It may also be tapered. The biasing means may have any preformed shape or may be an elastic. It may be zig-zag shaped, have one curve only, or any number of curves, or be an elongate resiliently extendable biasing means. The anchor means may also be a “hook-and-loop” fastener in the case that the ball support is used on a carpet or the like. Instead of using a magnet, a hook may be provided for hanging the ball support to an object such as a golf bag. Instead of a disc, the base/disc of the ball support part may be any shape, for example, rectangularly shaped. The ball support part may also include markings or lines to assist a user in align the ball support and to assist the user with their positioning with regards to the ball support and ball. The magnet may also be attached to a metal plate, bent to form a hook, which hooks onto part of a golf bag. Instead of attaching the ball support to a golf bag, it can be attached to any metal surface such as a metal part on a golf cart or the like. The anchor part may terminate into a spike, a screw or a nail. The spike, screw or nail may also be integral with the anchor part. The anchor may be from a material, for example a porous plastics material, which would not damage a blade of an electrical apparatus, for example a lawn mower, should the blade come in contact with the anchor.

Claims

1. A ball support comprising a ball support part at a first part of a biasing means and an anchor part at a second part of the biasing means, the biasing means being moveable from a first rest position in which forces acting on the biasing means are balanced so that it remains in rest towards a second extreme extended position in which the biasing means is at least partially extended against its inherent bias as a result of an unbalanced force applied to the biasing means in that direction, the biasing means remaining biased to a rest position.

2. A ball support as claimed in claim 1 in which the biasing means is extendable when an extension force is applied thereto.

3. A ball support as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the anchor part is at a free end of the connection means.

4. A ball support as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the anchor part has anchor receiving means.

5. A ball support as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the anchor part includes an anchor.

6. A ball support as claimed in claim 5 in which the anchor is a spike.

7. A ball support as claimed in claim 5 in which the anchor is a hook and loop fastener.

8. A ball support as claimed in claim 5 in which the anchor is a weight.

9. A ball support as claimed in claim 5 in which the anchor is a securing means.

10. A ball support as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 in which the anchor part terminates into a spike.

11. A ball support as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 in which the anchor part terminates into a screw.

12. A ball support as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 in which the anchor part terminates into a nail.

13. A ball support as claimed in claim 10 in which the spike is integral with the anchor part.

14. A ball support as claimed in claim 11 in which the screw is integral with the anchor part.

15. A ball support as claimed in claim 12 in which the nail is integral with the anchor part.

16. A ball support as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the anchor is made from a material which would not damage a blade of an electrical apparatus, for example a lawn mower, should the blade come in contact with the anchor.

17. A ball support as claimed in claim 16 in which the material is a porous plastics material.

18. A ball support as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the biasing means has a preformed shape.

19. A ball support as claimed in claim 18 in which the preformed shape is a concertina formation.

20. A ball support as claimed in claim 18 in which the preformed shape is a zig-zag formation.

21. A ball support as claimed in claim 18 in which the preformed shape is elongate and multiple curved.

22. A ball support as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the biasing means is elastic, to be made of a resiliently deformable material, to be made of silicone or rubber or the like.

23. A ball support as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 22 in which the biasing means is resiliently deformable material.

24. A ball support as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the biasing means is made of silicone.

25. A ball support as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 24 in which the biasing means is made of rubber.

26. A ball support as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the ball support is a made in one manufacturing process.

27. A ball support as claimed in claim 26 in which the ball support is moulded as an integral unit.

28. A ball support as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the ball support part and biasing means is made from the same material, for example, an elastomer or silicone.

29. A ball support as claimed in claim 28 in which the ball support part and biasing means is made from an elastomer.

30. A ball support as claimed in claim 28 in which the ball support part and biasing means is made from silicone.

31. A ball support as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the ball support is made from an elastomer.

32. A ball support as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the height of the ball support part may differ for allowing a player to select a height desired for specific striking conditions.

33. A ball support as claimed in claim 32 in which the height of the ball support part may have adjustment means.

34. A ball support as claimed in claim 33 in which the adjustment means is telescoping adjustment means.

35. A ball support as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the ball support means has an opening for receiving a secondary ball support means.

36. A ball support as claimed in claim 35 in which the secondary ball support means is a golf tee.

37. A ball support as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the ball support has attachment means.

38. A ball support as claimed in claim 37 in which the attachment means is a magnet attached to the ball support part or partially or fully imbedded therein.

39. A ball support as claimed in claim 37 in which the attachment means is a magnet partially imbedded in the ball support part.

40. A ball support as claimed in claim 37 in which the attachment means is a magnet fully imbedded in the ball support part.

41. A ball support as claimed in any one of claims 38 to 40 in which the magnet is flat.

42. A ball support as claimed in any one of claims 38 to 40 in which the magnet ring shaped.

43. A ball support as claimed in any one of claims 38 to 40 in which the magnet is square.

44. A ball support as claimed in any one of claims 38 to 40 in which the magnet is rectangular.

45. A ball support as claimed in any one of claims 38 to 40 in which the magnet is elongate.

46. A ball support as claimed in any one of claims 38 to 45 in which the magnet is attachable to a metal plate, bent to form a hook to hook onto part of a golf bag or to a metal part of a golf club or to any other metal surface.

47. A ball support as claimed in any one of claims 38 to 46 in which the magnet is any shape which may be best suited at the time of manufacture.