Golf Putting Alignment Aid for Dominant Eye and Parallax Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Golfers face challenges in consistently aligning their dominant eye over the ball to ensure accurate putts due to environmental factors and parallax, which affect the setup and alignment of the putter, leading to inconsistent ball direction and distance.
Innovation Solution
An alignment device comprising a base with alignment indicia and extensions that help position the dominant eye, putter, and golf ball in alignment with the target line, minimizing the effects of environmental factors and parallax.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the golfer relies on visual perception to align the putter on the target line, then the setup process is simple and intuitive, but parallax errors cause inconsistent alignment accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment device introduces an intermediary physical reference system (alignment sticks, target line indicators, and positioning markers) that mediates between the golfer's visual perception and the actual required alignment. This intermediary system provides objective reference lines and markers that eliminate parallax errors by giving the golfer a tangible framework to align the putter face, ball, and target line correctly regardless of viewing angle.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the purely visual/mechanical alignment process with a hybrid system that incorporates physical alignment aids (sticks, markers, and positioning devices) that provide tactile and visual references simultaneously. This substitution of pure visual reliance with multi-sensory reference systems eliminates parallax effects by providing fixed reference points that do not shift with the golfer's position.
2Measurement precision
If the golfer positions the dominant eye directly over the ball to eliminate parallax, then alignment precision is improved, but the complexity of achieving and maintaining this position increases
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment device segments the complex positioning task into separate, manageable components: eye alignment markers, putter alignment sticks, ball positioning indicators, and target line references. By dividing the overall alignment process into discrete alignment steps with dedicated markers for each element, the system makes achieving precise eye-over-ball positioning more manageable and repeatable without requiring complex procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment device performs preliminary positioning actions by placing alignment markers, sticks, and reference indicators on the ground and around the ball before the golfer attempts to align. These pre-positioned references guide the golfer through the eye alignment process step-by-step, making the complex task of positioning the dominant eye directly over the ball more achievable and consistent through repeated practice.
3Measurement precision
If the alignment device includes multiple alignment indicia and extensions, then the alignment accuracy is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment device achieves multi-functionality by designing alignment indicia and extensions that serve multiple purposes: the same alignment sticks used to mark the target line also serve as references for putter face alignment, ball positioning, and eye alignment. The base structure and extensions are configured to simultaneously provide references for multiple alignment elements, reducing the need for separate dedicated markers for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple alignment functions into a single integrated device structure. The alignment indicia, extensions, target line markers, and positioning references are combined into one cohesive system that can be positioned and adjusted as a unit. This merging reduces the overall complexity compared to having separate alignment tools for each function while maintaining comprehensive alignment capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
An alignment device for golf to be used as a practice aid for aligning a dominant eye of a user, a putter and a golf ball with a target line to a hole on a putting green, comprising a base comprising at least one alignment indicia and at least one alignment extension extending from the base, wherein the at least one alignment indicia of the base and the at least one alignment extension are configured to align the dominant eye of the user, the putter and the golf ball with the target line to the hole on the putting green.