WO1997030766A1

WO1997030766A1 - Golf bag with multiple forward-hinged sections

Info

Publication number: WO1997030766A1
Application number: PCT/US1996/001700
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jack Hontiveros
Original assignee: Jack Hontiveros
Priority date: 1996-02-20
Filing date: 1996-02-20
Publication date: 1997-08-28
Also published as: AU4777296A

Abstract

This invention is a golf bag having a multiple number of sections (10, 11, 12) of graduated lengths, each meant to hold a multiple number of golf clubs. Each section is a thin rectangular structure containing a number of plastic retaining tubes (82) and has a common club head compartment (20) and cover (21) on top. The tubes (82) hold the golf club shafts in place while the padded club head compartment (20) and cover (21) cradle the club heads, which are all oriented in a forward-facing direction. The cover (21) is hinged to the club head compartment (20) with a 'c'-shaped hinge (24) that enables it to hang behind the club head compartment (20) in the open position. In the closed position, the club head compartment covers (21) are secured in front with a snap closure latch (22A) for a one-finger opening. The sections are swing-hinged to each other at their bottoms, thus enabling the sections to nest against each other in the closed position or swing away from each other at their tops in the open position.

Description

Patent Application GOLF BAG WITH MULTIPLE FORWARD-HINGED SECTIONS

Background - Field of Invention

This invention relates to a golf bag with multiple thin rectangular sections of differing but complementary lengths which are attached at their bottoms to each other with hinges that allow the tops of the sections to swing away from each other for easy access to the clubs while in play, or to nestle one against the other in the closed position for compactness during travel or storage. Each section is topped by a common club head compartment oriented in a forward-facing direction, has a flip-up club head compartment cover with a barbed snap lock and contains a multiple number of shaft-retaining tubes to hold a multiple number of golf clubs which are fully enclosed in their individual spaces so that when the club head compartment covers are closed, no portion of the clubs can be seen.

Background - Description of Prior Art

No prior art exists that embodies the two elements of: a) multiple hinged sections that nest against each other in the closed position and whose top portions swing away from each other in the open positions; and b) sections with club head compartments and covers that hold a multiple number of clubs in a fully-covered forward-facing direction in their individual spaces from the tip of the shaft handles all the way to the club head.

U.S. Patent 4,655,346 (Reinholz, April 7, 1987) shows a golf bag with multiple hinged sections wherein the golf clubs are not fully enclosed, the sections being shorter than the clubs themselves. The hinging mechanism which opens the bag into the shape of a letter "X" is designed merely to allow the bag to be self-standing. The sections in my invention swing away from each other in a different manner, being hinged at the bottom and swinging forward at the top portions.

U.S. Patent 5,333,731 (McCuaig, August 2, 1994) shows a traveling golf case with two compartments hinged at one side that opens in the shape of a letter "L". This invention is intended primarily to protect the golf clubs during travel and would do an adequate job of protecting the clubs from impact from external objects, but does not provide for protection from the clubs striking each other during movement of the bag because the c:lub heads are not held stationary and would tend to swing from side to side. When such a case is used during play, the club heads would tend to swing even more because the retaining bars would no longer press on the club shafts in the open position. Another disadvantage would be the damage that the retaining bars themselves would produce by rubbing against the shafts as the club heads turn ::rom side to side. Also, with the balance of the bag in the opened position being off-center, it cannot be easily pulled in that position on a walking golf cart.

U.S. Patent 172,785 (Eging, August 10, 1954) shows a golf bag with two hinged compartments that open so that the compartments are side-by-side. In this invention, the clubs would not be secured in each section, thus providing no protection from the clubs striking each other. A bag of this configuration would also be too wide to mount on either a riding golf cart or a walking golf cart.

U.S. Patent 3,530,919 (May, September 29, 1970) shows a golf bag with two hinged compartments that open side-by-side. This invention has the disadvantage of being too wide to conveniently fit on either a riding golf cart or a walking golf cart. It also does not provide individual protection for the clubs from knocking against each other during movement of the bag.

U.S. Patent 2,023,792 (Sampson, December 10, 1935) shows a reversible golf bag having two sections that open side-by-side. Again, the disadvantages of being too wide to conveniently fit on either a riding golf cart or a walking golf cart plus the lack of individual protection for the clubs against knocking against each other during movement of the bag exist in this invention.

U.S. Patent 2,837,346 (Cha bless, June 3, 1958) shows a combination golf bag and caddie cart that does not provide any means of protecting the individual clubs from coming in contact with each other while the bag is being moved. Furthermore, this bag is meant to be a walking cart with it's fold-out wheels and would be too large and cumbersome to load on a riding golf cart.

U.S. Patent 5,168,992 (Bowdy, December 8, 1992) shows a golf case with swinging doors. Whereas the clubs in the front compartment are somewhat protected from striking each other while in their individual spaces, the longer clubs in the rear compartment are not. Other disadvantages of this invention include having all the clubs exposed to the elements at the same time while the doors are open, and being unable to be transported on a riding cart due to its dimensions in the open position. By design, it was meant to be used only by the walking golfer.

U.S. Patent 3,779,297 (Stammer, December 18, 1973) shows a hinged golf bag with two sections hinged at the top and the bottom of the two sections. This invention would fall off a riding golf cart when its front section is opened. Furthermore, it does not provide any means for protecting the individual clubs from coining in contact with each other while the bag is in motion.

U.S. Patent 2,879,819 (Turnbull, March 31, 1959) shows golf club protecting and separating devices, all of which mount to fixed, non-hinged positions in a golf bag. Without the ability to swing the top portions of the club sections away from each other to provide greater access during play, the bag will have to be made much larger than in my invention and will therefore be much less compact for storage. Access to the individual clubs would be restricted. In all the Turnbull illustrations wherein the clubs with wooden heads are placed in the middle position of the bag, such arrangements cannot be mounted in a riding cart as there would be no way to access the irons toward the back. In all of Turnbull's illustrations, he has clubs facing in two different directions, making it particularly unsuited for the golf cart riding golfers, which form the majority of today's golfing public. Finally, no provision whatsoever is made for covering the irons from the elements or from external impact in this invention.

U.S. Patent 2,128,546 (Ven ore, August 30, 1938) shows holders for single clubs, which are then placed inside a conventional golf bag and fixed in place with flexible metal bands. To have 14 of these holders while allowing for individual access to the clubs would require a golf bag much larger than my invention creating a storage problem. The weight of such a bag with all its contents would also be inconvenient to carry.

U.S. Patent 5,005,624 (Sung, April 9, 1991) shows a golf club protector for individual clubs meant to be placed inside a conventional golf bag. Inasmuch as these club protectors are designed to have club head covers made of soft materials like leather and similar flexible materials and since no provision is made to prevent these covers from colliding with each other while the bag is being moved, the protection of the individual clubs would be inferior to that provided by my invention. Furthermore, a fixed order of the various clubs would not be provided for, as the Sung protectors will interchange positions with sufficient movement within the bag.

U.S. Patent 4,378,832 (Thompson, April 5, 1983) shows a golf club cover of rigid half-shells hinged to each other, which is meant to cover only the club head and will not protect the shaft. Neither will this invention provide a fixed order for arranging the clubs as the clubs will be free to move around within the bag as the bag is moved.

Swedish Patent 214555 (Emsing and Lindholm, July 21, 1964) shows a golf bag with three sections hinged at the bottom to swing forward but the absence of club head compartments and covers to retain and cover the club heads would make the clubs shift around or even fall out of the bag while Emsing's bag is being moved or transported, thus causing nicks, scratches and other damage to the club heads and shafts. Rain or dust could also enter the bag, thus causing rust damage and inconvenience. Another disadvantage of Emsing's design compared to my invention is the absence of shaft retaining tubes, allowing the shafts of the clubs to swing around and perhaps cause damage to the club heads as they follow the movement of the shafts. Another significant difference is that Emsing's section containing the woods have the club heads facing alternately front and back, and those clubs facing the back will be difficult to remove without hitting the roof of a riding cart, while my invention has all the club heads in a forward-facing orientation. Finally, Emsing's hinging arrangement is such that when his bag is in the open position, the middle section would be suspended off the ground and its weight would tend to apply downward pressure on the sectional opening hinge and thereby close the bag. My bottom hinging arrangement keeps a part of each section grounded for more even weight distribution.

U.S. Patent 3,460,597 (Daly, October 23, 1967) shows a golf bag wherein all the clubs are fully enclosed in one large compartment, thus requiring a bag of much larger proportions than my invention. Furthermore, with nine irons arranged side-by-side, the width of Daly's bag would not allow two bags to fit on a riding cart.

U.S. Patent 4,383,563 (Kirchhoff, July 28, 1981) shows a rigid golf bag in one section with a removable cover which would have the same disadvantage as Daly's invention in that the proportions would be much larger than my invention.

Objects and Advantages

The objects and advantages of my invention are:

a) protection of all the golf clubs while at play or during transportation from impact from external sources and also ::rom movement and contact with other clubs, eliminating scratches, nicks and dents on the club heads, shafts and handles, making it the ideal bag for golfers who use clubs containing graphite and other soft materials (relative to the traditional steel materials used on golf clubs) ;

b) elimination of the need for individual club head covers;

c) easier accessibility to golf clubs while in play;

d) improved order in the arrangement of clubs within the bag;

e) more compact storage bag for golf clubs;

f) total flexibility in the type of transportation while in play (riding cart, walking cart, caddie, or attachable wheeled walking carrier) ;

g) greater enjoyment of the game of golf due to the numerous improvements that safeguard the golf clubs while making them more readily accessible than heretofore possible.

Drawing Figures

Figure 1 shows the golf bag in a closed position. Note that in this position, the three main sections' club head compartments nestle one under the other. Thus, only the top section may be opened in this position.

Figure 2 shows the golf bag in the fully opened position. This is the position that it would have when loaded on the back of a riding golf cart, with the exception of the bag stand bars (70) being in the closed or retracted position. Inasmuch as the bag stand bars are designed to automatically extend when the bag stand activators touch the ground, the two-position anchoring sleeves (73) have to be moved to the higher position by loosening the knobs and sliding the sleeves up and tightening the knobs again. This raises bag stand activators so they do not contact the ground, keeping the retractable bag stand bars closed. The center section (11) is held suspended between the front and back sections in the open position by leather or nylon straps attached to pairs of D- rings at the bottom of the club head compartment. The putter holder (64), with its leather flap and hook & loop closure will hold almost any standard-length putter, despite the variety of different designs available.

Figure 3 shows the parts making up the club head compartment and cover. With the clubs in their places and the club head compartment covers closed, the club heads are cradled in place by the bottom paddings (25 & 26) and the cover foam padding.

Figure 4 shows the components of the bag utilizing high-impact plastic or aluminum parts as the primary materials for the frame. The shaft-retaining tubes are made of plastic. The bottom components and hinges can be of plastic, aluminum or other metals.

Figure 5 shows the components of the bag utilizing laminated plastic sheets as the primary material for the frame.

Reference Numerals in Drawings

10 Longest section containing the woods

11 Middle section containing the long irons

12 Front section containing the short irons and the putter

13 Base

20 Club head compartment

21 Club head compartment cover 22A Snap closure latch

22B Snap closure catch

23 Cover foam padding

24 "C" hinge

25 Final club head padding

26 Club head bottom foam padding

30 Lateral stabilizing bar

31 Sectional opening hinge

32 D-ring

33 Retaining strap

40 Carrying handle

41 Carrying strap

50 Ball and tee bag

51 Utility bag

60 Woods

61 Long irons

62 Short irons

63 Putter

64 Putter holder

65 Putter holder flap

66 Hook & loop closure

67 Umbrella holder

68 Tube retaining strap

70 Retractable bag stand bar

71 Bag stand activator

72 Activator retaining guide

73 Two-position activator anchoring sleeve 80 Sectional side bar

81 Sectional tube retainer

82 Shaft-retaining tube

83 Sectional bottom bar

84 Angle connector

85 Short hinge for middle section

86 Long hinge for front section

90 Sectional back board

91 Sectional front board

92 Folded plastic retaining tube

93 Sectional bottom bar #2

Structure of the Invention

There are a variety of materials that can be alternately chosen to construct this invention. As shown on Figure 4, the sectional frames can be made out of high-impact plastic, fiberglass, or light-weight aluminum. Furthermore, sections can also be constructed by folding a laminated plastic sheet of the type used on U.S. postal tote boxes into the required rectangular structure as shown on Figure 5. The club head compartments and covers can be made out of molded plastic, laminated plastic sheets, fiberglass or metal. The outer skin for any of these frame structures can be of cloth, nylon fabric, vinyl or leather.

Summary, Ramifications and Scope

This invention provides the modern golfer with complete protection of his golf clubs in storage, transport and while at play without inconveniencing him in the least. It does away with the need for head covers which need to be removed before the use of each club, thereby slowing down the tempo of play. Furthermore, such head covers do not protect the shafts from rubbing against the conventional bag's partitions and from the friction of other clubs' handles and shafts as they move within the bag.

Aside from protecting the clubs from nicks, dents and scratches, this invention also provides the golfer with perfect order for his clubs, enabling him to instantly find a specific club. Furthermore, he will never mistake a 6 iron for a 9 iron, or vise-versa (a mistake commonly made by the inventor in the past) since they belong in different compartments. If a club is missing, it will be instantly apparent because of an empty club slot. Thus, golfers who otherwise would have left their sand wedges on the green would discover the loss before they proceed to the next hole.

Totally adaptable to each golfer's mode of play, this invention can be carried by a caddie in the closed position, loaded on the back of a riding golf cart or on a walking golf cart in the open position. It further offers the traveling golfer superior protection against impact from other luggage while his bag is in transit.

Claims

ClaimsI claim:

1. A golf bag with multiple sections of graduated lengths attached to each other with bottom hinges that allow them to nest against each other in the closed position or swing their top portions away from each other in the open position, each section being a thin rectangular structure containing numerous shaft- retaining tubes and being topped by a common club head compartment and flip-up cover that retain the club heads in a forward-facing orientation.