WO2023166237A1

WO2023166237A1 - Ferrule for a golf flag stick

Info

Publication number: WO2023166237A1
Application number: PCT/ES2023/070117
Authority: WO
Inventors: Gabriel VEGA DE SEOANE KINDELÁN
Original assignee: MEDRANO LÓPEZ, Álvaro
Priority date: 2022-03-03
Filing date: 2023-03-02
Publication date: 2023-09-07
Also published as: ES1288174U; ES1288174Y

Abstract

The invention relates to a ferrule (10) for a golf flag stick (40), comprising a lower body (11) designed to be inserted into a golf hole (30). According to the invention, when a ball (20) enters the golf hole (30) with the flag inserted in the hole (30), a first point of contact (c.1) is defined between the ball (20) and the golf flag stick (40); a second point of contact (c.2) is defined between the ball (20) and a conical base (31) of the hole (30); and a third point of contact (c.3) is defined between the ball (20) and the external surface of the upper body (12) of the ferrule (10). The invention is characterized in that the third point of contact (c.3), on the external surface of the upper body (12) of the ferrule (10), is configured at any angular position of between 271° and 310° relative to the Cartesian axis (X,Y) of the ball (20).

Description

DESCRIPTION

CAP FOR GOLF FLAG POLE

Technical field of the invention

The object of the present invention is a socket for a golf flagstick which, in itself, is a mechanism for ejecting a golf ball from the hole without damaging it, with the flag up.

Background of the invention

The present invention is related to Rule 13.2 ^a of the game of golf, which allows not to remove the flag when the ball resides in the area called the green, in which the club called putt is normally used. The problem that is being solved is that the edge of the hole is frequently damaged when the player takes out his ball with the flag attached. Before this rule change, this was not the case, because with the flag removed there was enough room to reach into the hole without damage to the hole.

In the state of the art there are different patents that either do not address this problem or do not adequately resolve it, for example, in USD 939,653; US8740716B1 ; KR102189431 ; US10471316B1 ; ES2172933T3; US5451045A; US20200330832A1.

One of the drawbacks of the devices described in the previous patents is that there is a basket (1.1) that can damage the hole when removing and inserting the flag, as can be seen in FIG.1. It is also problematic that the ball (20) does not release properly from the basket. In fact, the use of the basket is not new in the sport of golf, but its use has always been limited to the flags on the practice greens. They are not used on the flags of each official 18-hole course, because they can damage the hole and because it is uncomfortable to handle them installed on a long game flag -the practice flags are short-.

On the other hand, on a practice green, it is not so important to damage the hole. The only advantage offered by the baskets is the possibility of drawing more than one ball at the same time, which is useful when you are practicing -it is done with several balls-, but it is not of interest in the game holes, where you uses a single ball.

Another drawback lies in the fact that the ball, in general, is not released from the basket,

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SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) except when a large, round and convex hoop is used in relation to the plane of the ground that pushes the ball towards the outside of the center of the hole and where, due to that convex shape, the ball will rub the walls of the hole looking for the exit, with the risk of damaging the perimeter grass when it succeeds. With the rest of the baskets you have to help the flag by tilting it to release the ball or balls. This is very inconvenient and expensive with putting green flags, which are small.

With the long game flags, it would be practically impossible with one hand, two hands would be needed, one to raise the flag and the other to pick up the ball, since when the player goes to pick up the ball from the hole, it is usual to carry it with him in a from your hands the putter with which you just hit it. You would have to rest it on the ground and pick it up later, completely contrary to the objective that is ultimately sought, speed of play, or at most, take the flagpole with the same hand with which you hold the putter, very difficult.

Explanation of the invention

An object of the present invention is a socket for a golf flagstick configured to remove only one ball, the game ball, and that the player can do it cleanly and effectively with just a slight pull on the flag, thanks to a small Modification of the current caps of the game flags and not of the practice flags. The modification extends the radius of the current socket by only 5mm, so both its appearance and its current functionality are practically the same.

More specifically, the object of the present invention is achieved with a socket according to claim 1. Particular and/or preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the dependent claims.

Thanks to the claimed bushing, the hole is not damaged because the player does not have to put his hand inside it. It must be remembered that nowadays the player always puts his hand in because he knows that yanking the flag is not a solution, the designs of the current caps do not allow this action to be effective. Most of the time the ball stays back in the hole and damages it enormously due to the shape of current sockets. If the flagstick is pulled with the ball in the hole, the thrust on the ball would be exerted from the top of the socket contacting a point on the ball too far from its center, which together with the contact surface of current bushings is tilted, the result is a lateral thrust of the ball towards the walls of the hole, trapped between the bushing and the

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SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) wall, instead of vertical looking for the exit of the hole. However, if the pull is very strong, the ball can come out, but the damage, both to the hole and to the edge of the grass on the surface of the green is very great, which is not recommended at all.

In addition, the present invention has the added advantage of being a minimal modification of the flag cap and, therefore, the cap does not become a kind of basket (as in the state of the art) that itself damages the edges. of the hole when removing and inserting the flag. In the cases in which the flag is removed -the rule allows kicking with the flag on or with the flag removed- the current baskets are very large in diameter and their handling is very uncomfortable to deposit and pick up the flag from the ground . Even its edges could mark the surface of the green that requires so much care. For all these reasons, today's baskets are not installed on any playing hole, only on practice holes. The present invention comes to solve this problem.

Throughout the description and claims, the word "comprises" and its variants are not intended to exclude other technical characteristics, additives, components or steps. For those skilled in the art, other objects, advantages, and features of the invention will emerge in part from the invention and in part from the practice of the invention. The following examples and drawings are provided by way of illustration and are not intended to limit the present invention. Furthermore, the invention covers all possible combinations of particular and preferred embodiments indicated herein.

Brief description of the drawings

Next, a series of drawings that help to better understand the invention and that are expressly related to an embodiment of said invention, which is illustrated as a non-limiting example thereof, is briefly described.

Fig 1. It shows a view of a basket according to the current state of the art.

Fig2. It shows a comparison between a cap according to the state of the art.

Fig3. It shows a schematic view of a socket according to the present invention inserted into a hole and with a golf ball resting on it.

Fig-4. It shows a schematic view of a golf ball extraction sequence introduced into a hole and removable thanks to the sleeve of the invention.

Fig5. It shows the maximum efficiency point of contact between the socket of the invention and a golf ball inserted into a hole.

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SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) Fig6. It shows the contact range of maximum efficiency between the socket of the invention and a golf ball inserted in a hole.

Fig7. It shows two views of an adapter or accessory for a bushing of the state of the art to transform it into a bushing according to the present invention, in section (left) and complete (right).

Detailed explanation of an embodiment of the invention

Figure 1, as previously mentioned, shows a basket (1.1) of those described in the state of the art and which, due to its shape, necessarily forces the ball (20) to rest higher than in its normal position at the bottom of the hole (30), which also increases the risk that the ball (20) bounces off the flat part of the basket (1.1) and may come out of the hole (30), which is a of the reasons why they are not installed in the game holes.

Figure 2 shows how the conical bushing (1.2) according to the state of the art with an essentially conical shape and concentrically coupled to the shaft of a golf flag (40) which, in turn, is inserted into a hole (30 ) leaving between the ball and the hole (30) an almost triangular free space (32).

However, in Figure 3, a socket (10) for a golf flag stick (40) according to the present invention can be seen, where, without changing the normal rest position of the ball (20) on a base conical (31) of the hole (30), the bushing (10) can push the ball (20) from below it, taking advantage of the free space (32) that exists between the ball (20) and the hole (30) when the ball is at rest, said free space (32) being considerably less in area than that created by traditional conical bushings (1.2).

To do this, the ball (20) rests -at least- on three contact points (c.1, c.2, c.3), which reduces the area of free space (32) on which to act without modifying the ball position (20). The first point of contact (c.1) is between the ball (20) and the stick (40) of the golf flag, being aligned with the horizontal equator (22) of the ball (20) in a particular non-limiting embodiment . The second point of contact (c.2) is established between the conical base (31) of the hole (30) and the ball (20). The third point of contact (c.3), which is also configured as the thrust point of the ball (20) when it is extracted from the hole (30), is established between the bushing (10) and the ball (20). In any case, the contact points indicated are in an idealized and illustrative situation of the operation of the invention, since, in the

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SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) In reality, there may be dirt and/or earth in the hole (30) that alters the relative position of the contact points, without this implying an alteration in the operation of the invention.

Using the X,Y Cartesian axes of the ball section (20) the first contact point (c.1) will be approximately at 0 ^o (first quadrant), the second contact point (c.2) will be in a position between 235° and 270° (third quadrant), while the third point of contact and push (c.3) will be in a position between 271° and 310° (fourth quadrant).

For maximum effectiveness in extracting the ball (20), the third point of contact and thrust (c.3) cannot be vertical to the transversal axis of the ball (20), that is, it cannot be on the 270° position. In this position, the completely vertical ascent of the ball (20) would be caused and, predictably, also a vertical descent back to the hole (30). That is why the third point of contact and thrust (c.3) must be displaced from the vertical, at an angle between 1 ^° and 40° (from 271° to 310° on the XY axis of the ball ( 20)), as best seen in figure 6, although in a preferred embodiment, an angle of 6 ^o (276° in the XY axis of the ball (20)) has been established as the optimal point of extraction of the ball. (20) of the hole (30).

Pushing the ball (20) at this off-center point with respect to the vertical of the ball (20) allows the ball to move practically vertically during the first moments of ascent and, with a slight forward spin (forward-spin) It begins to be accused when the 20 ball has crossed the ground line of the green, practically outside the 30 hole, beginning to turn in the direction of its own horizontal displacement, which moves the ball away from the hole with its satisfactory extraction. This forward-spin effect is described in the sequence of figure 4. Again, contrary to the basket of figure 1, whose object is to collect the ball 20, in the case of the socket 10 of the invention, the effect technique obtained is the expulsion of the 20 ball.

Thanks to the described invention, the following technical problems faced by existing bushings to date are solved. First, the socket of the present invention is 5mm (approximately) larger than current sockets, making the use of additional buckets or devices unnecessary. Precisely this minimal modification facilitates that, in the cases in which the flag is removed from the hole, with the cap of the invention the flag can be replaced without difficulty. In addition, since its diameter is very small in relation to the hole, it will not be damaged at all.

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SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) The present invention, as has been indicated, expels the ball with forward spin (forward-spin) removing it cleanly from the hole without the need to use the hands. With the ball on the ground outside the hole, the player can hit it with the putter in his hand and move it away from the playing area near the pin, which makes the game faster, and what is more It is important that the player does not have to insert his hand into the hole with the risk of damaging it, something that is happening at a general level in all golf courses since the new rule that allows kicking without removing the flag was imposed.

The bushing of the invention (10) geometrically comprises a lower body (11), cylindrical and insertable in the hole (30) in the same way as the conical bushings (1.2) of the state of the art. The particularity of the bushing (10) of the invention is that its upper body (12), also essentially conical, has a base radius greater than that of traditional bushings (approximately 5 mm higher, as can be seen in figure 3) in such a way that which defines an external surface which is where the third point of contact and thrust is defined (c.3).

This external surface of the upper body (12) of the bushing (10) can adopt different geometries, depending on the angle at which the third contact point (c.3) is located -precisely-. In a particular embodiment, this external surface of the upper body (12) of the bushing (10) is preferably concave and has a profile in correspondence with the diameter of the ball (20), as shown in figures 3, 4 and 5. But in other cases, it can adopt a practically straight geometry (figures 6 and 7). In addition, this outer surface (13) does not have to be intrinsic to the upper body (12) of the bushing (10), but can be an implement for traditional conical bushings (1.2), as best seen in the figure 7.

In any case, the essential characteristic on the external surface of the upper body (12) of the bushing (10) is not its concave or straight geometry, but the position of the third point of contact (c.3) with respect to the vertical axis (Y). of the ball (20), in such a way that the range of efficiency in the extraction of the ball 20 is established between angles 271° and 310°, preferably between 273° and 300°, and more preferably at 276° with respect to of the XY Cartesian axis of the ball 20 inserted in the hole 30, as best seen in figures 5 and 6.

Thanks to the position of the third point of contact (c.3) an expulsion is achieved with minimal effort from the player, where the ball 20 rises without touching the walls of the hole 30 or its edge and, when exiting, due to the displacement of the third point of contact with respect to the vertical Y axis of the 20 ball, do so with a forward-spin effect to move the 20 ball away from the 30 hole.

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SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) Also note that the angular ranges described are dynamic, that is, the closer the position of the third contact point (c.3) is to the angle of 276° (in another notation -84°), the more efficient the effect will be. forward-spin in extracting ball 20 from hole 30. Thus, any angular position between the indicated ranges must be considered as explicitly described in the present invention.

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SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26)

Claims

1- A socket (10) for a golf flagstick (40) comprising: a lower body (11) configured to be inserted into a golf game hole (30); an upper body (12) comprising an external surface; and that when a ball (20) is introduced into the golf hole (30) with the flag inserted in said hole (30), a first point of contact (c.1) is defined between the ball (20) and the club golf flag (40); a second point of contact (c.2) between the ball (20) and a conical base (31) of the hole (30); and a third point of contact (c.3) between the ball (20) and the external surface of the upper body (12) of the bushing (10); characterized in that the third contact point (c.3) is configured on the external surface of the upper body (12) of the bushing (10) in any angular position between 271° and 310° with respect to the Cartesian axis (X,Y) of the ball (20) inserted in the hole (40).

2- The bushing (10) according to claim 1 where the third point of contact (c.3) is in any angular position between 273° and 300° with respect to the Cartesian axis (X,Y) of the ball ( 20) introduced in the hole (40).

3- The bushing (10) according to claim 1 or 2 where the third contact point (c.3) is in an angular position of 276° with respect to the Cartesian axis (X,Y) of the ball (20) introduced in the hole (40).

4 - The bushing (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the external surface of the upper body (12) of the bushing (10) is concave with a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the ball (20).

5- The bushing (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the upper body (12) of the bushing (10) is an external element that can be adapted to the upper body of a conical bushing (1.2).

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SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26)