Golf tee

• US 20040166964A1
• Filed: 02/06/2004
• Published: 08/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daiya Corporation
• Original Assignee: Daiya Corporation
• Inventors: Toyosawa, Issei, Hiroshima, Shoji
• Granted Patent: US 7,011,586 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/387
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 57/10 Golf tees
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 57/12 attached to straps
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 57/16 Brush-type tees

Abstract

The present invention provides a durable golf tee capable of conserving as much as possible the impact energy transmitted to the golf tee and of preventing possible flight thereof from the ground. The golf tee comprises a stick pin the lower end of which is formed in a tapering shape to stick into the ground, a ball-holding member placed on the top of the stick pin provided with a small hole at the bottom of a hollow part, and a flexible connecting member the lower end of which is fixed on the stick pin, the connecting member being provided with a flange on the upper end for binding slidably the ball-holding member to the stick pin, the connecting member being inserted into a hollow part H through a small hole perforated at the bottom of the ball-holding member, and notches 4b1 being formed between the flange of the connecting member and the ball-holding member to let air escape upward.

Claims

1. A golf tee comprising;

a stick pin the lower end of which is formed in a tapering shape to stick into the ground,

a ball-holding member for a ball placed on top of the stick pin and being tubular with a hollow part inside and having a small hole at the bottom of a hollow part, and

a flexible connecting member the lower end of which is fixed with the stick pin and the upper end of which has a flange, and which can bind the ball-holding member to the stick pin slidably,

wherein the connecting member is inserted into the hollow part through the small hole formed at the bottom of the ball-holding member, and the flanges of the connecting member has notches for letting air pass upward between the flange of said connecting member and the ball-holding member.

2. The golf tee according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of ribs along the axial direction of the ball-holding member are formed at regular intervals on the perimeter, and said ribs are formed so as to protrude from said round loop base.

3. The golf tee according to claim 2, wherein the protrusion length L of the ribs protruding from the ball-holding member is set at a length that does not cause the ribs to deform beyond their plasticity and to become brittle even when the ribs are pressed until the ball enters into contact with the round loop base at the base of the protruding ribs and the ribs are bent radially outward.

4. The golf tee according to claim 1, wherein the top of said stick pin is integrated by injection molding with the lower end of the connecting member.

5. The golf tee according to claim 1, wherein the top of each rib is formed in the shape of a globe.