Golf ball retrieval putter grip assembly and method of use

Abstract

To provide a golf ball retrieving putter grip assembly and a method of use.SOLUTION: A golf ball retrieving putter grip assembly allowing a person to utilize a grip of his / her putter to retrieve a golf ball includes a tube and a golf ball engagement member comprising a resiliently bendable material. The tube defines a cylindrical interior space into which a shaft of a putter can be inserted to frictionally attach the shaft to the tube. The golf ball engagement member comprises a cup, which can reversibly attach to a golf ball, and a socket, which is attached to a bottom of the cup. An upper section of the tube is circumferentially smaller than a lower section of the tube and thus is insertable into the socket, where a first coupler attached to the upper section engages a second coupler attached to the socket to removably attach the golf ball engagement member to the tube.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a golf ball retrieval putter grip assembly as a golf ball retrieval device. The present invention also relates to a method of using the golf ball retrieval putter grip assembly. [Background technology]

[0002] The prior art relates to golf ball retrieval devices that depart from a grip and ball retriever combination to bring such devices into compliance with PGA Tour requirements. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] It allows a person to utilize the grip of their putter to retrieve the golf ball, thereby avoiding the need to bend down to pick up the golf ball. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] One embodiment of the present disclosure meets the above needs by generally comprising a tube and a golf ball engaging member comprising an elastically bendable material. The tube has an open lower end and a closed upper end, defining a cylindrical interior space configured to receive a shaft of a putter inserted through the lower end such that the shaft is frictionally attached to the tube. An upper portion of the tube adjacent the upper end is circumferentially smaller than the lower portion of the tube. A first coupler is attached to the upper portion. The golf ball engaging member includes a cup configured to be reversibly attached to a golf ball and a socket attached to and extending from a bottom of the cup. The socket is dimensioned complementarily to the upper portion of the tube such that the upper portion is selectively insertable into the socket. A second coupler attached to and disposed within the socket is complementary to the first coupler such that insertion of the upper portion into the socket causes the second coupler to engage the first coupler to removably attach the golf ball engaging member to the tube.

[0005] Another embodiment of the present disclosure includes a golf ball retrieval putter grip system including a putter with a tube and a golf ball engaging member according to the disclosure above. The tube and golf ball engaging member are constructed of an elastically bendable material. The tube has a lower end and an upper end that open and close, respectively. The shaft of the putter is disposed within the cylindrical interior space such that the shaft is frictionally attached to the tube. The upper portion of the tube is selectively insertable into the socket by a first coupler engaging with a second coupler to removably attach the golf ball engaging member to the tube.

[0006] Yet another embodiment of the present disclosure includes a method of retrieving a golf ball from a golf ball cup, which involves providing a golf ball retrieval putter grip assembly according to the above disclosure. The method steps include inserting the shaft of a putter through the lower end of the tube into the cylindrical interior space such that the shaft is frictionally attached to the tube. The tube is then used in a conventional manner as a grip for the putter, placing a golf ball in the golf ball cup, inserting the upper portion of the tube into the socket, inverting the putter, positioning the cup, pressing the cup downward to reversibly attach the cup to the golf ball, rotating the putter longitudinally, and applying pressure to the golf ball laterally of the top of the cup to deform the cup and release the golf ball.

[0007] There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the present disclosure in order that the detailed description of the disclosure that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contributions to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

[0008] The objects of the present disclosure, together with the various features of novelty which characterize it, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.

[0009] The present disclosure will be better understood, and further objects thereof will become apparent, in consideration of the following detailed description, which refers to the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an isometric perspective view of a golf ball retrieval putter grip assembly according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 illustrates an isometric perspective view of one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 illustrates an isometric perspective view of one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 illustrates an isometric perspective view of one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of a method utilizing an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1-7 thereof, a novel gripping assembly, generally designated 10, which embodies the principles and concepts of one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

[0012] As best shown in FIGS. 1-7, the golf ball retrieval putter grip assembly 10 generally includes a tube 12 and a golf ball engaging member 14, both of which comprise an elastically bendable material. Any conventional material used in golf club grips may be utilized for the elastically bendable material, typically a rubber material. The tube 12 has an open lower end 16 and a closed upper end 18, and defines a cylindrical interior space 20. The cylindrical interior space 20, having a diameter of approximately 1.40 cm, is configured to receive a shaft 22 of a putter 24 inserted through the lower end 16, such that the shaft 22 is frictionally attached to the tube 12. The tube 12 thus forms the grip of the putter 24. Although the tube 12 may be attached to the shafts of other golf clubs, it is anticipated that it will be most useful with a putter 24, since golf ball retrieval is typically performed after completing a hole.

[0013] As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, An upper portion 26 of the tube 12 adjacent the upper end 18 is circumferentially smaller than a lower portion 28 of the tube 12 . Therefore, a step 27 is formed between the outer circumferential surface of the upper portion 26 and the outer circumferential surface of the lower portion 28 .The lower portion 28 can include an inner layer 30 and an outer layer 32, with the outer layer 32 including a fabric, as shown in Figure 6. The upper portion 26 has a first coupler 34 attached thereto. The first coupler 34 includes a plurality of annular grooves 36 extending into the upper portion 26. The plurality of annular grooves 36 can include two annular grooves 36 disposed adjacent to an upper limit 38 and a lower limit 40 of the upper portion 26, as shown in Figures 4 and 6. The plurality of annular grooves 36 may also include three or more annular grooves 36.

[0014] The golf ball engaging member 14 includes a cup 42 configured for reversible attachment to a golf ball (not shown) and a socket 44 attached to and extending from a bottom 46 of the cup 42. The cup 42 has a depth of 2.03 cm to 2.16 cm. A top 48 of the cup 42 has a diameter of 6.94 cm to 4.09 cm. A lip 50 is attached to the top 48 of the cup 42 and extends inwardly over an opening 52 of the cup 42 a distance of 0.38 mm to 0.89 mm. The socket 44 is dimensioned complementary to the upper portion 26 of the tube 12 such that the upper portion 26 is selectively insertable into the socket 44. A second coupler 54 is disposed in and attached to the socket 44, which is complementary to the first coupler 34. When upper portion 26 as an insertion portion is inserted into socket 44, second coupler 54 engages with first coupler 34 to removably attach golf ball engaging member 14 to tube 12. As described above, in tube 12, step portion 27 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) is formed between the outer circumferential surface of upper portion 26 and the outer circumferential surface of lower portion 28, and when upper portion 26 is inserted into socket 44 (engaged state), lower end surface 45 of socket 44 abuts against step portion 27 (see FIG. 6). Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6, when upper portion 26 is inserted (engaged) into socket 44, the outer circumferential surface of lower portion 28 and the outer circumferential surface of socket 44 are continuous with no step.

[0015] The second coupler 54 includes a plurality of protrusions 56, each protrusion 56 attached to and extending from an inner surface 58 of the socket 44. The protrusions 56 are insertable into a respective annular groove 36 when the upper portion 26 is inserted into the socket 44. Each protrusion 56 of the plurality of protrusions 56 may include an annular ring 60, or other shaped protrusions such as, but not limited to, a hump, an arc, etc. The present invention also contemplates the first coupler 34 and second coupler 54 including other coupling means such as, but not limited to, internal and external threads, magnets, etc.

[0016] The golf ball engaging member 14 has a lower periphery 62 that is sized complementarily to a periphery 64 of the tube 12. The golf ball engaging member 14 has an outer surface 66 that flares outwardly from the lower periphery 62 toward the top 48 of the cup 42. This shape of the golf ball engaging member 14 provides a smooth transition from the tube 12 to the golf ball engaging member 14, facilitating putting with a golf ball engaging member 14 attached to the tube 12, when such a configuration is permitted by the rules of play.

[0017] The first channel 68 extends axially through the top end 18 of the tube 12, and the second channel 70 extends axially through the bottom 46 of the cup 42. The second channel 70 is aligned with the first channel 68 when the golf ball engaging member 14 is attached to the tube 12. The second channel 70 and the first channel 68 are thus configured for selective insertion of a threaded fastener (not shown) as a means of more permanently attaching the golf ball engaging member 14 to the tube 12.

[0018] The present invention also contemplates a golf ball retrieval putter grip system 72 including a putter 24, a tube 12, and a golf ball engaging member 14. The tube 12 and the golf ball engaging member 14 are constructed of a resiliently bendable material. The tube 12 has a lower end 16 and an upper end 18 that are respectively open and closed. The tube 12 defines a cylindrical interior space 20 in which a shaft 22 of a putter 24 is disposed such that the shaft 22 is frictionally attached to the tube 12. A first coupler 34 is attached to an upper portion 26 of the tube 12 adjacent the upper end 18. The upper portion 26 is circumferentially smaller than a lower portion 28 of the tube 12.

[0019] The golf ball engaging member 14 of the golf ball retrieval putter grip system 72 includes a cup 42 configured for reversible attachment to a golf ball and a socket 44 attached to and extending from a bottom 46 of the cup 42. The socket 44 is dimensioned complementary to the upper portion 26 of the tube 12 such that the upper portion 26 is selectively insertable into the socket 44. A second coupler 54 is attached to and positioned within the socket 44. The second coupler 54 is complementary to the first coupler 34 such that the second coupler 54 engages the first coupler 34 upon insertion of the upper portion 26 into the socket 44 to removably attach the golf ball engaging member 14 to the tube 12.

[0020] In use, the golf ball retrieval putter grip assembly 10 enables a method of retrieving a golf ball from a golf ball cup. The method 74 includes providing a golf ball retrieval putter grip assembly 10 in accordance with the above specifications. A first step 76 of the method 74 is to insert the shaft 22 of a putter 24 through the lower end 16 of the tube 12 and into the cylindrical interior space 20 such that the shaft 22 is frictionally attached to the tube 12. The tube 12 is then used as a grip for the putter 24 in a conventional manner. A second step 78 of the method 74 is to place a golf ball into a golf ball cup (not shown).

[0021] Upon completing the hole, the user may choose to retrieve the golf ball without bending over. Thus, a third step 80 of the method 74 is to insert the upper portion 26 of the tube 12 into the socket 44 such that the second coupler 54 engages the first coupler 34 to removably attach the golf ball engaging member 14 to the tube 12. A fourth step 82 of the method 74 is to invert the putter 24. A fifth step 84 of the method 74 is to place the cup 42 of the golf ball engaging member 14 over the golf ball. A sixth step 86 of the method 74 is to press the cup 42 downward using the putter 24 to reversibly attach the cup 42 to the golf ball. The cup 42 frictionally engages the golf ball to allow the golf ball to be lifted out of the cup. The lip 50 facilitates gripping of the golf ball by the cup 42. A seventh step 88 of the method 74 is to rotate the putter 24 vertically. An eighth step 90 of method 74 is to apply pressure laterally to the top 48 of cup 42 against the golf ball to deform cup 42 and release the golf ball, thus allowing it to be removed without having to bend down and grasp the golf ball with one hand.

[0022] With regard to the above description, the optimal dimensional relationships of the parts of the embodiments enabled by the present disclosure, including variations in size, material, shape, form, function and mode of operation, assembly and use, will be readily apparent and are believed to be obvious to those skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those shown in the drawings and described herein are intended to be encompassed in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0023] Therefore, the foregoing is considered only as illustrative of the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and therefore, all suitable modifications and equivalents are within the scope of the present disclosure and may be relied upon. In this patent document, the word "comprising" is used in its open-ended sense to mean that the items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. Reference to an element by the indefinite article "a" does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the elements are present, unless the context clearly requires that only one of the elements is present. [Explanation of symbols]

[0024] 10. Golf Ball Retrieval Putter Grip Assembly 12 Tubes 14 Golf ball engaging member 16 Lower end 18 Upper end 20 Cylindrical interior space 22 Shaft 24 Putter 26 Upper part (Insertion part) 27 Step part 28 Lower part 30 Inner Layer 32 Outer layer 34 First Coupler 36 Annular groove 38 upper limit 40 lower limit 42 Cups 44 Sockets 45 Socket bottom surface 46 Bottom 48 Top 50 Lip 52 Opening 54 Second Coupler 56 Protrusion 58 Inside 60 Annular Ring 62 Lower outer periphery 64 Outer periphery 66 Exterior 68 First Channel 70 Second Channel 72 Golf ball recovery putter grip system 74 method

Claims

1. 1. A golf ball retrieval putter grip assembly comprising: a tube constructed from a grippable, resiliently bendable material, said tube having a lower end and an upper end, said upper end being closed and said lower end being open such that said tube defines a cylindrical interior space configured to receive a putter shaft inserted through said lower end such that said shaft is frictionally attached to said tube, said tube having an insert formed in an upper portion thereof that includes said upper end; a golf ball engaging member constructed from a resiliently bendable material; Including, The golf ball engaging member is a cup configured to releasably engage a golf ball; a socket attached to the cup and extending downwardly from the cup; Including, the insert and the socket are engageable and releasable with one another such that the golf ball engaging member extends upwardly from the upper end of the tube; The tube has a lower portion below the insertion portion, a step is formed between an outer circumferential surface of the insertion portion and an outer circumferential surface of the lower portion, When the insertion portion and the socket are engaged with each other, a lower end surface of the socket abuts against the step portion. Golf ball retrieval putter grip assembly.

2. A golf ball retrieval putter grip assembly comprising: a tube constructed from a grippable, resiliently bendable material, said tube having a lower end and an upper end, said upper end being closed and said lower end being open such that said tube defines a cylindrical interior space configured to receive a putter shaft inserted through said lower end such that said shaft is frictionally attached to said tube, said tube having an insert formed in an upper portion thereof that includes said upper end; a golf ball engaging member constructed from a resiliently bendable material; Including, The golf ball engaging member is a cup configured to releasably engage a golf ball; a socket attached to the cup and extending downwardly from the cup; Including, the insert and the socket are engageable and releasable with one another such that the golf ball engaging member extends upwardly from the upper end of the tube; The tube has a lower portion below the insertion portion, When the insertion portion and the socket are engaged with each other, an outer circumferential surface of the lower portion and an outer circumferential surface of the socket are continuous with each other without any step. Golf ball retrieval putter grip assembly.

3. A golf ball retrieval putter grip assembly as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the lower portion of the tube includes an inner layer and an outer layer, the outer layer including fabric.

4. The insertion portion includes a first coupler, and the socket includes a second coupler, the first coupler includes a plurality of annular grooves extending around an outer periphery of the insert; the second coupler includes a plurality of protrusions disposed on an inner surface of the socket, and the plurality of annular grooves and the plurality of protrusions are engageable with each other when the insertion portion and the socket are in an engaged state.

3. The golf ball retrieval putter grip assembly of claim 1 or 2.

5. 5. The golf ball retrieval putter grip assembly of claim 4, wherein the plurality of annular grooves includes two annular grooves disposed adjacent to respective upper and lower limits of the insert.

6. The golf ball retrieval putter grip assembly of claim 4 , wherein each protrusion of said plurality of protrusions comprises an annular ring.

7. the golf ball engaging member has a lower outer periphery sized complementarily to an outer periphery of the tube; the golf ball engaging member having an outer surface that flares outwardly from the lower periphery toward the top of the cup; 3. The golf ball retrieval putter grip assembly of claim 1 or 2.

8. the upper end of the tube having a first channel extending axially through the tube; a bottom of the cup having a second channel extending axially therethrough such that the second channel is aligned with the first channel when the golf ball engaging member is attached to the tube; Further includes the second channel and the first channel are configured for selectively inserting a threaded fastener to secure the golf ball engaging member to the tube.

3. The golf ball retrieval putter grip assembly of claim 1 or 2.

9. The golf ball retrieval putter grip assembly of claim 1 or 2, wherein the cup has a depth of between 2.03 cm and 2.16 cm.

10. 3. The golf ball retrieval putter grip assembly of claim 1 or 2, wherein the top of the cup has a diameter of between 6.94 cm and 4.09 cm.

11. 3. The golf ball retrieval putter grip assembly of claim 1 or 2, further comprising a lip attached to the top of the cup and extending inwardly beyond the opening of the cup a distance of between 0.38 mm and 0.89 mm.

12. 1. A golf ball retrieval putter grip system comprising: With putter, a tube constructed of an elastically bendable material and having a lower end and an upper end, the upper end being closed and the lower end being open such that the tube defines a cylindrical interior space, a shaft of the putter being disposed within the cylindrical interior space, the shaft being frictionally attached to the tube, and an insertion portion of the tube including the upper end being circumferentially smaller than a lower portion of the tube below the insertion portion; a first coupler provided in the insertion portion; a golf ball engaging member constructed from a resiliently bendable material; Including, The golf ball engaging member is a cup configured to be reversibly attached to a golf ball; a socket disposed in and extending from a bottom of the cup, the socket being dimensioned complementarily to the insert of the tube such that the insert is selectively insertable into the socket; a second coupler disposed in the socket, the second coupler being complementary to the first coupler, such that upon insertion of the insert into the socket, the second coupler engages with the first coupler to removably attach the golf ball engaging member to the tube; and Including, a step is formed between an outer circumferential surface of the insertion portion and an outer circumferential surface of the lower portion, and a lower end surface of the socket abuts on the step when the insertion portion is inserted into the socket; Golf ball retrieval putter grip system.

13. 3. A method of retrieving a golf ball from a golf ball cup, comprising the steps of providing a golf ball retrieval putter grip assembly according to claim 1 or 2; inserting the shaft of the putter through a lower end of the tube and into a cylindrical interior space such that the shaft is frictionally attached to the tube; placing a golf ball in the golf ball cup; inserting the insert into the socket so as to removably attach the golf ball engaging member to the tube; inverting the putter; positioning the cup of the golf ball engaging member over the golf ball; using the putter to press downwardly on the cup to reversibly attach the cup to the golf ball; rotating the putter longitudinally; applying pressure laterally against the top of the cup to deform the cup and release the golf ball; The method includes:

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