SWING FORCE INDICATOR INCLUDING AN ACTUATOR FOR DISENGAGING A MAGNETICALLY ATTRACTED MOVABLE MEMBER

• US 3,572,706 A
• Filed: 06/09/1969
• Issued: 03/30/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Burnos L. Schroder
• Original Assignee: Burnos L. Schroder
• Inventors: Schroder, Burnos L.
• Application Number:
  US04/831,550
• Time in Patent Office: 659 Days
• US Class Current: 473/234
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 15/005 with a weight movable along the longitudinal axis of the club due to centrifugal forces

Abstract

A swing force indicator for use with sporting implements such as golf clubs, baseball bats and the like having a shaft and a closed tubular housing at an end of the shaft. A magnetic sleeve is disposed midway between ends of the housing and an axially movable member is magnetically attracted to the sleeve. An axially movable plunger is disposed on the other side of the sleeve, is biased away from the sleeve and is axially movable past the sleeve into engagement with the member to dislodge the member when the implement is swung with a predetermined force.

Claims

1. A stroke force indicator for sporting articles comprising:

an elongate shaft defining a grip and a tubular housing connected to an end of the shaft, barrier means positioned within the housing, a member axially slidably disposed within the housing, the barrier means limiting the slidable movement of the member, the barrier means and the housing being constructed of magnetic materials so that they are attracted to each other and the member can be retained to the barrier means, and actuating means positioned adjacent the barrier means for disengaging the magnetically attracted member and barrier means in response to a centrifugal force of a predetermined magnitude whereby the member strikes a portion of the housing while subject to the centrifugal force and issues a signal indicating that the centrifugal force has reached the predetermined magnitude.

2. A stroke force indicator according to claim 1 wherein the actuating means comprises plunger means axially movably disposed within the housing on a side of the barrier means opposite the member, and wherein the barrier means defines a passageway through which the plunger means can extend into engagement with the member when the member is retained to the barrier means.

3. Apparatus for providing a signal responsive to the centrifugal force to which the apparatus is subjected, the apparatus comprising:

a housing adapted to be secured to an elongate shaft subjected to centrifugal forces, a stationary, tubular sleeve mounted to the interior of the housing, a movable member disposed in the housing on a side of the sleeve, opposite a connecting point between the housing and the shaft, the member being magnetically attracted to and retained by the sleeve, a plunger movable disposed in the housing on the other side of the sleeve and having a configuration enabling it to extend through an aperture in the sleeve and into contact with the member, and means biasing the plunger away from the sleeve and the member, whereby a centrifugal force acting on the plunger forces the plunger in opposition to the spring force against and into engagement with the member to thereby dislodge the sleeve and the member at a predetermined magnitude of the centrifugal force.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 including means for adjusting the relative positions of the plunger and the sleeve to thereby vary the required centrifugal force for dislodging the member from its magnetic engagement with the sleeve.

5. Apparatus for indicating stroke forces in connection with sporting games, the apparatus comprising:

an elongate shaft having a grip at one end and an elongate, closed end tubular housing at another end, an end of the shaft being disposed in the housing for connecting the shaft and the housing, an axially movable plunger disposed in the housing, means biasing the plunger toward the shaft, an axially movable member disposed in the housing, barrier means between the member and the plunger, and constructed to permit engagement of the member by the plunger while preventing the member from moving towards the shaft and the plunger past a point determined by the barrier means, the barrier means and the member being magnetically aTtracted to each other, whereby movement of the shaft through an arc forces the plunger in opposition to the biasing means against the member to dislodge the member from the barrier means so that the member can move in an axial direction under the effects of the centrifugal force to engage the closed end of the housing and produce a signal.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5 including means for moving the barrier means and the plunger towards and away from each other whereby the centrifugal force required to dislodge the member from engagement with the barrier means can be adjusted without adjusting the biasing means.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the adjustment means comprises a plug rigidly connected with a portion of the shaft disposed inside the housing, the plug including means for axially movably mounting the plunger, the plug further threadably engaging the housing so that relative rotation between the shaft and the housing causes an axial repositioning of the plug and a corresponding adjustment in the relative position between the plunger and the barrier means.

8. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the biasing means comprises a helical spring biasing the plunger with a fixed force away from the barrier means.

9. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the axial length of the housing on the side of the barrier means facing the axially movable member exceeds the inside diameter of the tubular housing a plurality of times.