Hooks for club cases, and golf carts

Abstract

To provide a hook tool for a club case capable of hooking a plurality of club cases that can avoid damage to parts such as a luggage basket in a golf cart.SOLUTION: A hook tool 10 for a club case comprises: a body part 20 provided with a plurality of hook parts 25 for hooking a hook 5a of a club case 5 that is used for carrying golf clubs on a golf course; and a fitting structure 30 for fitting the body part 20 to a frame 3 or a seat of a golf cart 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a hooking tool for a club case attached to a golf cart and the like.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the number of people using club cases to carry golf clubs on the golf course of a golf course has been increasing. However, although a place for mounting a golf bag is prepared on a golf cart (a passenger cart), a place for mounting a club case is not prepared.

[0003] Non-Patent Document 1 describes hooking a club case on a mesh luggage basket provided at the upper part of the rear of a golf cart.

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents

[0004]

Non-Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] By the way, a club case may be relatively heavy including the golf clubs to be stored therein. Therefore, when hooking a club case on the luggage basket at the rear of a golf cart as described in Non-Patent Document 1, there is a risk that the luggage basket may be distorted by the weight of the club case. Especially when the golf cart is running, the load acting on the luggage basket increases due to shaking, and the risk of the luggage basket being distorted increases.

[0006] This invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and aims to provide a hook for golf club cases that can hold multiple club cases, thereby preventing damage to parts of a golf cart such as the luggage basket. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above-mentioned problems, the first invention is a hook for a club case, comprising a main body with multiple hooks for attaching the hooks of a club case used to carry golf clubs on a golf course, and a mounting structure for attaching the main body to the frame or seat of a golf cart.

[0008] The second invention is that, in the first invention, the main body is attached by a mounting structure to the upper part of the rear support column that supports the roof of the golf cart, so as to be located on the side of the outer surface of the support column.

[0009] The third invention is that, in the second invention, the support column comprises a column body extending from below to the front of the roof, and a joint portion having a smaller cross-sectional shape than the column body and protruding upward from the upper end of the column body, and the mounting structure is configured to be attachable to the joint portion.

[0010] The fourth invention is the mounting structure in the second or third invention, comprising an inner member disposed inside the support column and an outer member fixed to the inner member from the outside of the support column and forming a column insertion portion through which the support column passes together with the inner member.

[0011] The fifth invention is that, in the first invention, the main body is formed in a plate shape, with a hooking hole formed as a hooking part, and the hook of the club case can be hooked from above onto the lower edge of the hooking hole.

[0012] The sixth invention is the fifth invention, wherein the main body comprises a main body plate with a notch formed therein, cut out from the lower side, and a rod-shaped member fixed to the lower end of the main body plate, and a hook hole is formed when the lower side of the notch is closed by the rod-shaped member.

[0013] The seventh invention is that, in the fifth invention, the main body, when mounted to the frame by the mounting structure, has its outer surface facing diagonally upward.

[0014] The eighth invention is that, in the first invention, the main body is formed in a horizontal shape, and four hooking parts are provided spaced apart in the horizontal direction.

[0015] The ninth invention is a golf cart comprising a hook for a club case according to any one of the first to eighth inventions, and a cart body to which the hook is attached.

[0016] The tenth invention is a handrail, in which the main body of the ninth invention is provided with a plurality of recesses that are recessed downwards, which serve as hooks for attaching a club case, and is attached to the front seat.

[0017] The eleventh invention is a golf cart comprising a front seat, a rear seat, and a handrail provided on the back side of the front seat and extending in the width direction of the golf cart, wherein the handrail is provided with a plurality of recesses that are recessed downward as hooks for attaching the hooks of a club case used to carry golf clubs on the golf course. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] In this invention, a main body equipped with hooks for attaching club cases is attached to the frame or seat of a golf cart by a mounting structure. Therefore, the weight of the club cases attached to the main body acts on the frame or seat, which has high strength. Furthermore, since the main body is provided with multiple hooks, it is possible to avoid the club cases getting caught on luggage baskets or other parts due to insufficient hooks. According to this invention, it is possible to prevent damage to parts of the golf cart, such as luggage baskets, by using a club case hooking device attached to the frame or seat of the golf cart. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0019] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a side view of a golf cart equipped with a hook for a club case according to an embodiment, where Figure 1(a) shows the state in which the club case is not hooked, and Figure 1(b) shows the state in which the club case is hooked. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the hook for a club case according to the embodiment, seen from the outside at an oblique angle above. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the hook for a club case according to the embodiment, seen from the outside at an oblique angle above. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a rear view of the connection between the rear support column and the roof of the golf cart. Figure 4(a) shows the golf cart without the club case hooks according to the embodiment, and Figure 4(b) shows the golf cart with the club case hooks attached. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the attachment of the club case hook according to the embodiment to a golf cart, where Figure 5(a) is a view from the outside at an angle above, and Figure 5(b) is a view from the inside at an angle above. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a front view of a golf cart equipped with a hook for a club case according to the embodiment, where Figure 6(a) shows the state in which the club case is not hooked, and Figure 6(b) shows the state in which the club case is hooked. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a hanger for a club case according to an embodiment with a buffer material attached thereto. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a hanger for a club case according to a modified example of the embodiment as viewed obliquely from above and outside. [Figure 9] FIG. 9(a) is a perspective view of a golf cart according to another embodiment as viewed obliquely from the rear, and FIG. 9(b) is an enlarged perspective view of a recess of a handrail. [Figure 10] FIG. 10(a) is a perspective view of a golf cart according to another embodiment when a recess is formed with a different structure, FIG. 10(b) is an enlarged perspective view of the recess of the handrail, and FIG. 10(c) is an enlarged perspective view of a member for hanging as viewed obliquely from the front.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0020] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are examples of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, its applications, or its uses.

[0021] [Configuration of Hanger for Club Case] This embodiment is an instrument for hanging a club case 5 (which may also be called a "sub-back") used for carrying golf clubs on a golf course, and is a hanger for a club case (hereinafter simply referred to as a "hanger") 10 attached to a frame 3 of a golf cart 1. As shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), the hanger 10 is provided with a plurality of hanging portions 25 for hanging a plurality of club cases 5 so that the plurality of club cases 5 can be suspended on the side of the golf cart 1. A perspective view of the hanger 10 is shown within the dashed line in FIG. 1(a). The hanger 10 is made of metal. However, other materials such as hard resin may be used for the hanger 10.

[0022] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the hooking device 10 comprises a main body 20 provided with a plurality of hooking parts 25, and a mounting structure 30 for attaching the main body 20 to the frame 3 of the golf cart 1. Here, the frame 3 is the skeletal part of the golf cart 1, including the floor panel and the support columns of the roof 2, and is made of high-strength material (for example, a metal material). In this embodiment, the main body 20 is attached by the mounting structure 30 to the rear support column 3a that supports the roof 2 of the golf cart 1, so as to be located on the side of the outer surface of the support column 3a.

[0023] In this specification, the outside of the golf cart 1 is referred to as the "outside" when using the hook 10, and the inside of the golf cart 1 is referred to as the "inside" when using the hook 10 (see Figure 2). Also, "lateral" refers to the left and right directions of the golf cart 1.

[0024] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the main body 20 is formed in a horizontally elongated, roughly plate-like shape. The main body 20 has a horizontally elongated main body plate 21 with multiple notches cut out from the bottom, and a rod-shaped member 22 fixed to the lower end of the main body plate 21. The lower sides of the multiple notches are closed by the rod-shaped member 22, forming multiple hook holes 25 as the aforementioned hooks. The main body 20 has four hook holes 25 spaced apart horizontally. In the main body 20, the hooks 5a of the club case 5 (see Figure 6(b)) can be hooked onto the lower edge (rod-shaped member 22) of each hook hole 25 from above. The rod-shaped member 22 is a round bar with a circular outer circumference. Therefore, the hooks 5a of the club case 5 are less likely to be damaged.

[0025] The mounting structure 30 is configured to be attachable to the joint portion 3t of the rear support column 3a with the roof 2 (see Figure 4). Here, as shown in Figure 4(a), the rear support column 3a comprises a column body 3m extending from below to the front (directly below) the roof 2, and a joint portion 3t having a smaller cross-sectional shape than the column body 3m and protruding upward from the upper end of the column body 3m. The joint between the rear support column 3a and the roof 2 is composed of the joint portion 3t of the support column 3a and a rod (joint portion of the roof 2) 2t with which the upper end of the joint portion 3t makes contact. The rod 2t is a member with a roughly rectangular outer shape and extends in the front-rear direction of the golf cart 1. The rod 2t is attached to the underside of the roof 2.

[0026] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the mounting structure 30 includes an inner member 31 positioned inside the connection portion 3t, and an outer member 32 fixed to the inner member 31 from the outside of the connection portion 3t, forming a column insertion hole 36 as a column insertion portion through which the connection portion 3t passes together with the inner member 31. The column insertion hole 36 has a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from above. The inner circumferential surface of the column insertion hole 36 is formed to correspond in shape and size to the outer circumferential surface of the connection portion 3t.

[0027] The inner member 31 is a member formed by cutting a flat plate into a predetermined shape. As shown in Figure 3(b), the inner member 31 comprises an inner rod-shaped portion 41 formed in the shape of a straight rod, a pair of inner connecting portions 42 extending downward from each end of the inner rod-shaped portion 41 and having through holes 45 formed therein, and a pressing portion 43 extending upward from the central part of the inner rod-shaped portion 41 and having a screw hole 46 formed therein.

[0028] The outer member 32 is formed by cutting a flat plate into a predetermined shape and then bending it. As shown in Figure 3(b), the outer member 32 comprises an outer rod-shaped portion 51 which is bent from a straight rod-shaped portion, and a pair of outer connecting portions 52 which extend downward from each end of the outer rod-shaped portion 51 and have through holes 55 formed therein. The outer rod-shaped portion 51 has a bent portion 53 formed by the aforementioned bending process, which corresponds to the outer circumference shape of the connection portion 3t. The bent portion 53 is a portion that protrudes outward in a roughly U-shape (or roughly U-shape) at the center of the outer rod-shaped portion 51. The through holes 55 of the pair of outer connecting portions 52 are formed at positions corresponding to the through holes 45 of the pair of inner connecting portions 42. As shown in Figure 4(b), the height of the outer rod-shaped portion 51 and the bent portion 53 is smaller than the height of the connection portion 3t (the distance between the upper end surface of the column body 3m and the lower surface of the rod material 2t).

[0029] The mounting structure 30 further includes two threaded rods 34 and two nuts 35 that are screwed onto the male threaded portions 34a of the threaded rods 34, as fixing parts for fixing the inner member 31 and the outer member 32 to each other.

[0030] Each threaded rod 34 is a straight, rod-shaped member with a male threaded portion 34a formed on one end. The other end face 34b of each threaded rod 34 is fixed to the inner surface of the main plate 21 by welding or the like. The two threaded rods 34 are fixed to the inner surface of the main plate 21 at the same interval as the pair of through holes 45, 55 in the lateral direction. Each threaded rod 34 also functions as a support part that supports the main body 20 with respect to the mounting structure 30. The other end face 34b of each threaded rod 34 is an inclined surface that faces diagonally upward. Therefore, the outer surface of the main plate 21 in the mounted state faces diagonally upward.

[0031] In Figure 1(a), the center of the main body 20 (the longitudinal center of the main body plate 21) is approximately aligned with the position of the support column 3a (the longitudinal center of the mounting structure 30) in the front-rear direction of the golf cart 1. However, the center of the main body 20 may be positioned further rearward than in Figure 1(a). In this case, it is possible to prevent the occupant of the golf cart 1 from hitting their head against the front end of the hook 10. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7, a flexible cushioning material 23 may be attached to the front end of the main body plate 21 of the main body 20 to mitigate the impact if the occupant hits their head against it.

[0032] [Regarding the installation method of the hook] When attaching the hook 10 to the golf cart 1, the inner member 31 is placed inside the joint 3t, and the bent portion 53 is fitted onto the joint 3t from the outside, with the inner surface of the outer member 32 overlapping the outer surface of the inner member 31. At this time, the pair of insertion holes 55 are overlapped with the pair of insertion holes 45. This overlap causes the joint 3t to be inserted into the column insertion hole 36 formed by the inner rod-shaped portion 41 and the bent portion 53. In this state, the inner member 31 and the outer member 32 are placed on the upper end of the column body 3m.

[0033] Next, the main body 20 and the two threaded rods 34 are lifted up and the male threaded portions 34a of each threaded rod 34 are inserted into the insertion holes 55 and 45 from the outside. Then, nuts 35 are screwed onto the male threaded portions 34a of each threaded rod 34 and tightened. As a result, as shown in Figure 5, the outer member 32 is connected to the inner member 31 and the mounting structure 30 is fixed to the joint 3t, and the main body 20 and the mounting structure 30 are connected to each other via the threaded rods 34.

[0034] Next, the screw 38 is screwed into the screw hole 46 from the inside and tightened, pressing the tip of the screw 38 against the rod 2t. This firmly fixes the hook 10 to the support column 3a so that the hook 10 does not rattle even when the golf cart 1 shakes. With the above steps, the attachment of the hook 10 to the support column 3a is complete. Note that the screw 38 shown in Figure 4(b), etc., is a screw without a head, also known as a "grub screw" or "headless screw".

[0035] [Effects of the embodiment, etc.] In this embodiment, the mounting structure 30, which is integrated with the main body 20 provided with hooking holes 25, is directly attached to the frame 3 of the golf cart 1. Therefore, the weight of the club case 5 hooked onto the main body 20 acts on the high-strength frame 3. In addition, since the main body 20 is provided with four hooking holes 25, it is possible to avoid the club case 5 being hooked onto a luggage basket or the like due to a lack of hooking holes 25.

[0036] In this embodiment, the main body 20 is attached by the mounting structure 30 to the upper part of the rear support column 3a, positioned to the side of the outer surface of the support column 3a. Therefore, as shown in Figure 1(b), the club case 5 hooked into the hooking hole 25 of the main body 20 does not come into contact with the rear wheel of the golf cart 1. Furthermore, the mounting structure 30 is attached to the joint portion 3t of the support column 3a, which has a smaller cross-sectional shape. If the mounting structure 30 were attached to the column body 3m, the bent portion 53 into which the column body 3m is fitted would be larger, the mounting structure 30 would be larger, and there would be no place to place the mounting structure 30, requiring a member to support the mounting structure 30 from below. In contrast, in this embodiment, the bent portion 53 can be made smaller, thus realizing a compact mounting structure 30. Moreover, in this embodiment, the mounting structure 30 can be placed on the upper end surface of the column body 3m, so there is no need to separately provide a member to support the mounting structure 30 from below.

[0037] In this embodiment, by using an inner member 31 positioned inside the rear support column 3a and an outer member 32 fixed to the inner member 31 from the outside of the support column 3a and forming a column insertion portion 36 through which the support column 3a passes together with the inner member 31, the hook 10 can be easily attached to an existing golf cart 1.

[0038] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 6(a), the hook 10 protrudes only slightly laterally from the most laterally located part of the golf cart 1 (the position indicated by the dashed line in Figure 6(a)). The most laterally located part is the armrest 9 of the seat. If the hook 10 protrudes significantly laterally from the position indicated by the dashed line in Figure 6(a), it would be necessary to ensure sufficient space between the golf carts 1 when parking them in a garage so that the hook 10 does not interfere with the adjacent golf cart 1. In contrast, in this embodiment, since the hook 10 protrudes only slightly laterally, the golf carts 1 can be parked with almost the same spacing as when the hook 10 is not installed. It is preferable that the lateral protrusion length of the hook 10 from the position indicated by the dashed line in Figure 6(a) be 2 cm or less.

[0039] In this embodiment, a hooking hole 25 is provided as the hooking part. If a hook member were attached to the front surface of the main plate 21 as the hooking part, there is a risk that the club case 5 may bounce upward and detach from the hook member when the golf cart 1 shakes while in motion. In contrast, in this embodiment, even if the club case 5 bounces upward, the hook 5a of the club case 5 will hit the upper edge of the hooking hole 25, making it difficult for the club case 5 to come off. Furthermore, because the outer surface of the main plate 21 is inclined at an angle (see Figure 6(b)), the hook 5a of the club case 5 can be smoothly attached to and detached from the hooking hole 25. The inclination angle θ of the outer surface of the main plate 21 can be, for example, an angle of around 45° (for example, 30° to 60° (preferably 40° to 50°)). Note that the configuration of the hooking part 25 is not limited to a hooking hole 25, and may be provided by attaching a member that can hook the hook 5a of the club case 5 (such as the hook member described above) to the front surface of the main plate 21.

[0040] [Modified examples of embodiments] In this modified example, as shown in Figure 8, the main body 20 is provided with two hooks 25, allowing two club cases 5 to be hooked onto one hook 60. In this case, by attaching two hooks 60 to one golf cart 1, it is possible to hook club cases 5 for a maximum of four passengers. One hook 60 can be attached to each of the connection points 3t of the left and right rear support columns 3a. In addition, in this modified example, a rod-shaped member 22 is provided at each notch in the main body plate 21.

[0041] [Other embodiments] In the above embodiment, the mounting location of the mounting structure 30 may be other than the support column 3a. Furthermore, the mounting structure 30 may be a structure that is attached to the support column 3a by welding or the like.

[0042] In the above embodiment, instead of attaching the hook 10 to the golf cart 1, the handrail 15 for the passenger of the rear seat 8 may constitute a hook for the club case. Specifically, as shown in Figure 9(a), the golf cart 1 comprises a cart body 1a having a front seat 7 and a rear seat 8, and a handrail 15 attached to the back side of the front seat 7 (in front of the rear seat 8) and extending in the width direction of the golf cart 1. The handrail 15 is provided with a plurality of recesses 16 that are recessed downwards as hooks for attaching the hooks 5a of the club case 5. Each end of the handrail 15 is attached to the armrest of the front seat 7. The depth of each recess 16 can be, for example, 3 cm or more (preferably 5 cm or more).

[0043] Figure 9(a) shows four recesses 16. Each recess 16 is formed by partially bending the handrail 15 downwards. As shown in Figure 9(b), the recesses 16 are formed by bending the handrail 15 downwards in a V-shape, but the bending shape that forms the recesses 16 may be other shapes (for example, U-shaped).

[0044] Alternatively, instead of partially bending the handrail 15 downwards, multiple recesses 16 may be formed by attaching multiple hooking members 17 to the handrail 15 at intervals in the width direction, as shown in Figure 10(a). On the handrail 15, as shown in Figure 10(b), recesses 16 are formed between adjacent hooking members 17. By attaching five hooking members 17, four recesses 16 can be formed. The hooking members 17 protrude above the upper surface of the handrail 15 at the attachment point. The hooking members 17 are formed in a roughly C-shape. After the handrail 15 passes through the gap 18 between both ends of the hooking member 17, a retaining member 19 is provided between both ends, as shown in Figure 10(c). In addition, instead of forming the recess 16 with two hanging members 17 on the handrail 15, a single member having a hanging part (hanging hole, hook, etc.) may be added later so that the club case 5 can be hung using the handrail 15.

[0045] Alternatively, a single golf cart 1 may be equipped with both the handrail (hook) 15 shown in Figure 9(a) or Figure 10(a) and the hook 60 shown in Figure 8. In this case, the handrail 15 shown in Figure 9(a) or Figure 10(a) is provided with two recesses 16 (or hooks) so that two club cases 5 can be hooked onto it, and the hook 60 provided on one side of the cart 1 is also equipped with a hook so that two club cases 5 can be hooked onto it. [Industrial applicability]

[0046] This invention is applicable to hooks for club cases that can be attached to golf carts, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1 Golf cart 3 frames 3a Rear support post 5 Club Cases 5a Hook 10. Hooks for club cases 20 Main body 25. Hook hole (hook part) 30 Mounting structure 31 Inner component 32 Outer member

Claims

1. The main body has multiple hooks for attaching the hooks of a club case used to carry golf clubs on the golf course, The golf cart has a mounting structure for attaching the main body to the frame or seat, The main body is a hook for a club case, which is attached by the mounting structure to the upper part of the rear support column that supports the roof of the golf cart, so as to be located on the side of the outer surface of the support column.

2. The support column comprises a column body extending from below to the front of the roof, and a joint portion having a smaller cross-sectional shape than the column body and protruding upward from the upper end of the column body. The mounting structure is configured to be attachable to the connection portion, as described in claim 1, for a hook for a club case.

3. The mounting structure comprises an inner member disposed inside the support column and an outer member fixed to the inner member from the outside of the support column and forming a column insertion portion through which the support column passes together with the inner member, according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A main body having multiple hooks for attaching the hooks of a club case used to carry golf clubs on a golf course, The golf cart has a mounting structure for attaching the main body to the frame or seat, The main body is formed in a plate shape, and a hooking hole is formed as the hooking part. A hook for a club case, wherein the hook of the club case can be hooked onto the lower edge of the aforementioned hooking hole from above.

5. The hook for a club case according to claim 4, wherein the main body comprises a main body plate with a notch formed therein cut out from the lower side, and a rod-shaped member fixed to the lower end of the main body plate, and the hook hole is formed when the lower side of the notch is closed by the rod-shaped member.

6. The hook for a club case according to claim 4, wherein the main body portion, when mounted to the frame by the mounting structure, has its outer surface facing diagonally upward.

7. The main body is formed in a horizontal shape, and four of the hooking parts are provided spaced apart in the horizontal direction, as described in claim 1, for the hooking device for a club case.

8. A hook for a club case according to claim 1 or 4, A golf cart comprising a cart body to which the aforementioned hooking device is attached.

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