Bunker Rake

Abstract

To provide a banker rake capable of loosening from an interior part, sand of a banker and leveling a surface of the sand.SOLUTION: A banker rake comprises: a long handle part 1; and a head part 3 coupled to a tip part of the handle part 1 through two arm parts 2. The head part 3 is formed of a rod material 30 extending in a direction crossing a longitudinal direction of the handle part 1, and the rod material 30 is formed so that the whole body of the rod material 30 can be dipped into sand of a banker. Preferably. the rod material 30 is formed into a tapered shape in which a cross section thereof is a tapered shape on a front side of the cross section and a rear side of the cross section widens toward an end part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a bunker rake, that is, a maintenance tool for leveling sand in a bunker (sandbox) on a golf course. [Background technology]

[0002] When players enter a bunker (sandbox), their footprints make the surface of the sand uneven and rough, or the sand gets compacted. For this reason, after playing in a bunker, it is customary to use a bunker rake to level the rough or compacted sand (maintenance work) to return it to its original state.

[0003] Conventional bunker rakes are disclosed in, for example, Patent Documents 1-3. The bunker rake of Patent Document 1 includes a gripping portion 1 and a leveling portion 3, and has claws 4 arranged in a comb-teeth shape along the leveling portion 3. The bunker rake of Patent Document 2 comprises a handle member 2 and a ground leveling plate 1, and a plurality of sand-releasing cutouts 3 are arranged in parallel on the lower edge 8 of the ground leveling plate 1. The bunker rake of Patent Document 3 includes a shaft 4 as a handle and a rake body 1, and a plurality of needle-like projections 2 are formed along the axial direction of the rake body 1. In other words, conventional bunker rakes are primarily designed to smooth out uneven sand surfaces, and generally have some sort of tines (comb-like tines 4, sand-releasing notches 3, and needle-like projections 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 4-88972 (Abstract, see Figure 1) [Patent Document 2] Utility Model Registration No. 3019886 (see abstract, Figure 1, etc.) [Patent Document 3] Utility Model Registration No. 3104172 (see abstract, Figure 1, etc.) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, it is generally difficult for beginners to operate a conventional claw-type bunker rake to smooth out rough sand. For example, after tracing the surface of the sand with a bunker rake, claw marks (groove-like marks made by claws) tend to remain on the sand surface. If claw marks remain on the sand surface, it becomes difficult for a player to address the ball as intended when addressing the ball from the bunker. In addition, conventional bunker rakes only smooth out the rough sand surface, and as time passes (i.e., as the work of smoothing the surface accumulates over and over), the sand gradually hardens and the bunker becomes hard.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a bunker rake that can loosen the sand in the bunker from the inside and level the surface of the sand. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention provides a bunker rake comprising a long handle portion and a head portion connected to one end of the handle portion via at least one arm portion, The head portion is formed of a rod extending in a direction intersecting with a longitudinal direction of the handle portion, and the rod is It is a straight rod-shaped material with no protrusions on its surface. When using a bunker rake, the entire bar can be submerged in the sand of the bunker. It is possible, The bar has a front side surface located on the front side, a rear side surface located on the rear side, and a first inclined surface and a second inclined surface that are not parallel to each other and are formed so as to linearly connect the ends of the front side and the rear side surfaces, and a cross section of the bar, which is bordered by the four surfaces of the front side surface, the rear side surface, the first inclined surface, and the second inclined surface, has a tapered shape that is narrowed on the front side of the cross section and diverged on the rear side of the cross section, The angle (θ) between the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface is 20° to 45°, The handle portion is connected to the front side surface of the bar material via the arm portion. This is a bunker rake characterized by the above. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the bunker rake of the present invention, The rod material constituting the head portion is a straight rod material having no protrusions on its surface,The head, which is constructed as a rod, can be inserted into the sand of the bunker and used, so that the bunker rake can be operated to loosen the sand from the inside and level the surface of the sand. Therefore, according to the present invention, the bunker can be maintained in a desired condition while maintaining the softness of the bunker and without leaving claw marks on the surface of the sand.

[0010] Also, The present invention So, The cross-sectional shape of the bar that constitutes the head part is , tapering toward the front of the cross section and diverging toward the rear of the cross section The tapered shape makes it easier to sink the head into the sand of the bunker and reduces resistance when operating the bunker rake. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a bunker rake according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of a bar that constitutes the head portion of a bunker rake. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 2 . [Figure 4] (A) and (B) are schematic diagrams showing an outline of how to use a bunker rake. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the bunker rake of this embodiment includes a long handle portion 1, two arms 2, and a single head portion 3.

[0013] The handle portion 1 is a long hollow pipe-like member, and is made of synthetic resin (e.g., polyvinyl chloride) or metal. The long handle portion 1 has two ends (a tip portion 1a and a base portion 1b). A user operates the bunker rake by gripping the base portion 1b of the handle portion or the vicinity thereof. On the other hand, a head portion 3 is connected to the tip portion 1a of the handle portion via two arms 2 formed in a bifurcated shape. The arms 2 and the head portion 3 are made of metal (e.g., stainless steel).

[0014] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the head portion 3 is composed of a single straight bar 30, and this bar 30 extends in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the handle portion 1 at a substantially right angle. In other words, the handle portion 1 and the head portion 3 (bar 30) are fixedly connected by two arms 2 so that the handle portion 1 and the bar 30 are disposed in a substantially right-angled relationship. Note that the bar 30 constituting the head portion is simply a straight bar-shaped material and does not have any claws or other protrusions / projections / unevennesses on the surface of the bar 30 (see Figure 2), so that the entire bar 30 (i.e., the entire head portion 3) can be easily immersed in the sand of the bunker when the bunker rake is used (see Figure 4).

[0015] 2 and 3, the bar 30 constituting the head portion 3 is not a round bar (a bar having a circular cross section), but a bar having a generally tapered cross section. Specifically, the bar 30 has at least a front arc surface 31 located on its front side (the front side in FIG. 2), a rear arc surface 32 located on its rear side (the rear side in FIG. 2), and a first inclined surface 33 (the upper inclined surface in FIG. 3) and a second inclined surface 34 (the lower inclined surface in FIG. 3) formed so as to linearly connect the ends of these two arc surfaces 31, 32.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 3, the curvature of each of the two arcuate surfaces 31 and 32 is set so as to form a part of the same imaginary circle C (circle C shown by an imaginary line). The first and second inclined surfaces 33 and 34 are inclined along a line segment (i.e., a chord of the circle C) connecting an end of one arc (31) and an end of the other arc (32) in the imaginary circle C. Incidentally, the angle θ between the first inclined surface 33 and the second inclined surface 34 is preferably 20° to 45°, and is set to θ=about 30° in FIG. 3. Therefore, the first inclined surface 33 is downwardly slanted at the front (upwardly slanted at the rear), and the second inclined surface 34 is upwardly slanted at the front (downwardly slanted at the rear), and therefore the first and second inclined surfaces 33 and 34 are in a non-parallel relationship with each other.

[0017] Furthermore, the cross-sectional shape of the bar 30 is generally bounded by four surfaces, namely, a front arcuate surface 31, a first inclined surface 33, a rear arcuate surface 32, and a second inclined surface 34. The cross-sectional shape of the bar 30 is tapered, narrowing at the front side of the cross-section and widening at the rear side of the cross-section, and the main part of the bar 30 is formed to have such a tapered cross-sectional shape. The two arm portions 2 are connected (for example, welded) to the front arcuate surface 31 of the bar 30, and as a result, the head portion 3 is disposed relative to the handle portion 1 such that the front side of the tapered cross-section of the bar 30 faces the tip portion 1a of the long handle portion 1.

[0018] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of how to use the bunker rake of this embodiment. When leveling sand in a bunker, first, as shown in Figure 4(A), the entire head 3 (bar 30) of the bunker rake is immersed in the sand with a rough surface. The depth to which it is immersed is set to any depth, for example, about 1 to 5 cm, depending on the roughness of the sand surface and the compaction of the sand. Then, the entire bunker rake is pulled and moved horizontally in the direction of arrow A. Then, as shown in Figure 4(B), the head 3 in the sand also moves horizontally in conjunction with the horizontal movement of the bunker rake, and the sand inside the bunker (underground part) is loosened, and the uneven surface is smoothed by physical stimuli (for example, vibrations and the uplift / push-up action of sand from underground to the ground surface) generated when the head 3 immerses in the sand.

[0019] In this way, the bunker rake of this embodiment can loosen the sand in the bunker from the inside by operating the bunker rake, while leveling the sand surface. Since the head part 3 of the bunker rake is inserted into the sand to loosen the sand from the inside, the bunker can be kept at a desired softness (moderate hardness). Also, since it does not directly level the sand surface with claws like conventional bunker rakes, it does not leave claw marks on the sand surface, and even beginners can smooth the sand surface to a relatively clean condition.

[0020] The head 3 can be easily immersed in the sand of a bunker because the cross-sectional shape of the rod 30 that constitutes the head 3 is tapered. In addition, the head 3 has a tapered cross-sectional shape that is narrower at the front side in the direction of travel and wider at the rear side, which reduces the resistance from the sand when the bunker rake is operated.

[0021] [Modifications] The embodiments of the present invention are not limited to those shown in Figs. 1 to 4, and can be modified as appropriate. For example, the number of arm portions 2 is not limited to two, but may be one, or three or more. The front side surface (31) and the rear side surface (32) of the bar 30 may be straight flat surfaces instead of arcuate surfaces.

[0022] In the above embodiment, the head portion 3 and the arm portion 2 (and the handle portion 1) are in a mutually fixed relationship, but the head portion 3 may be configured to be rotatable relative to the arm portion 2. For example, the arm portion 2 may be a single piece, and a hinge structure may be interposed between the arm portion 2 and the head portion 3, thereby making the head portion 3 rotatable relative to the arm portion 2. However, even in this case, it is preferable that the head portion 3 be fixed in a substantially perpendicular intersecting relationship with the handle portion 1 during use. [Explanation of symbols]

[0023] 1 Handle 2 Arm section 3 Head section 30 Bar material 31 Front arc surface 32 Rear arc surface 33 First Inclined Surface 34 Second Inclined Plane

Claims

[Claim 1] A bunker rake comprising a long handle portion (1) and a head portion (3) connected to one end of the handle portion via at least one arm portion (2), The head portion (3) is composed of a rod (30) extending in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the handle portion (1), and the rod (30) is a straight rod-shaped material having no protrusions on its surface, so that the entire rod (30) can be submerged in the sand of the bunker when the bunker rake is in use; The bar (30) has a front side surface (31) located on the front side, a rear side surface (32) located on the rear side, and a first inclined surface (33) and a second inclined surface (34) which are not parallel to each other and are formed so as to linearly connect the ends of the front and rear side surfaces (31, 32), and a cross section of the bar (30) bounded by the four surfaces of the front side surface, the rear side surface, the first inclined surface, and the second inclined surface has a tapered shape which is narrowed on the front side of the cross section and widened on the rear side of the cross section, The angle (θ) between the first inclined surface (33) and the second inclined surface (34) is 20° to 45°; A bunker rake, characterized in that the handle portion (1) is connected to a front side (31) of the bar via the arm portion (2).

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