Golf ball including sound emitting means

• US 5,112,055 A
• Filed: 06/13/1991
• Issued: 05/12/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: William R. Barnhill
• Original Assignee: William R. Barnhill
• Inventors: Barnhill, William R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Marlo, George J.
• Application Number:
  US07/714,633
• Time in Patent Office: 334 Days
• Field of Search: 273/213, 273/58 G, 273/183 C, 273/DIG. 24, 273/58 E, 446/270, 446/409, 29/899
• US Class Current: 473/199
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0053 for locating an object, e.g. a lost ball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0625 Emitting sound, noise or music
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/32 Golf
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0021 Tracking a path or terminating locations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/00 Balls with special arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 273/20 Weighted balls
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49712 Ball making

Abstract

A signal-emitting golf ball, having a chamber formed into its outer surface as a manufacturing step after the ball has been formed into its generally spherical shape.

The chamber is of a form providing a reception chamber for the signal-emitting means being placed inwardly of the ball'"'"'s outer surface at a manufacturing stage in which the signal-emitting means are not subject to ball-shaping or prior manufacturing steps.

A novel signal-emitting device, shock-activated in nature, is provided to be silent through the practice swinging, but automatically emits a sound upon the ball being struck, and it keeps sounding until the player finds it and wishes it silent for the next shot, although preferably the sound is dim enough and steady enough so as to not be a bother.

Claims

1. A golf ball including a sound-emitting device, comprising, in combination:

an outer carrier member carried by the golf ball interiorly thereof;

an inner carrier member;

a battery;

an impact-receiving member carried by the outer carrier member;

a sound-emitting means, electrically energizable;

electric circuitry operatively connecting the sound-emitting means and the battery;

switch means in said circuitry in operative series with the battery and the sound-emitting means;

the switch means and the impact-receiving means being carried respectively by the inner carrier member and the outer carrier member;

the inner carrier member and the outer carrier member being relatively movable into and between a sound-silent condition in which the switch means is in an open-circuit condition, and a sound-emitting condition in which the switch means is in a closed-circuit condition;

a spring operatively interconnecting the outer carrier member and the inner carrier member, and biasing the inner carrier member and the outer carrier member toward a relative position having sound-emitting condition of the switch means, and maintaining that sound-emitting condition until opposing force is exerted as specified below;

releasable holding means operative to maintain the outer carrier member and the inner carrier member in a relative position which maintains sound-silent condition of the switch means;

the releasable holding means, by impact of a golf club upon the impact-receiving member, permitting the spring to cause the inner carrier member and the outer carrier member to move relatively to one another to achieve sound-emitting condition of the switch means;

and there is provided operative access to the inner carrier member for manual force to be operatively applied to the inner carrier member to achieve silencing of the sound-emitting means; and

also to establish said releasably-held condition of the releasable holding means to maintain the silence of the sound emitting means, and to cook the device for the subsequent impacting of the ball by a golf club to re-start the sound-emitting operativity of the sound-emitting means, by a single manual force action of the user.

2. The invention as set forth in claim 1, in a combination in which the outer carrier is a tubular member which provides a shell within which the inner carrier member is slidably carried.

3. The invention as set forth in claim 1, in a combination in which the inner carrier member is a body member having a pair of chambers respectively carrying the battery and the sound-emitting means.

4. The invention as set forth in claim 1, in a combination in which the inner carrier member includes and end having a cylindrical recess having female threads, and there is also provided a male-threaded body member screw-threadedly connected to the inner carrier member and providing one part of the releasable holding means, the other part of the releasable holding means being carried by the outer carrier member.

5. The invention as set forth in claim 1, in a combination in which the said male threaded body member provides a part of the circuitry.

6. The invention as set forth in claim 1, in a combination in which the inner carrier member carries an arm member which is operatively in the said circuitry and is adjacent the impact-receiving means of the outer carrier member and the adjacent end of the inner carrier member and the arm member is movable to provide that the circuitry is closed upon receiving an impact against the impact-receiving member, and the circuitry is open when the inner carrier member and the outer carrier member are in their condition of being releasably held in their cocked position.

7. The invention as set forth in claim 1, in which the outer carrier member has a transverse wall at its inner end, and the inner carrier member has a transverse wall at its inner end, and the spring is operatively bottomed against said walls.

8. The invention as set forth in claim 1, in a combination in which the releasable holding means is a latch means.

9. The invention as set forth in claim 8, in a combination in which the latch means comprises a resilient member attached to the outer carrier member, and provides a holding of them in sound-silent condition by the resilient member'"'"'s releasable engagement of the inner carrier member unless some external force causes a release of latch means by the inner carrier member forcing the resilient member to move from that latching engagement with the inner carrier member.

10. A goft ball including a sound-emitting device, comprising, in combination:

a carrier member carried by the golf ball interiorly thereof;

a battery;

a sound-emitting means, electrically energizable;

electric circuitry operatively connecting the sound-emitting means and the battery;

switch means in said circuitry in operative series with the battery and the sound-emitting means;

a movable actuator member movably carried by the carrier member;

the movable actuator member and the carrier member being relatively movable into and between a sound-silent condition in which the switch means in an open-circuit condition, and a sound-emitting condition in which the switch means is a closed-circuit condition;

a spring operatively interconnecting the carrier member and the movable actuator member, and biasing the movable actuator member toward a relative position having sound-emitting condition of the switch means, and maintaining that sound-emitting condition until opposing force is exerted as specified below;

releasable holding means operative to maintain the carrier member and the movable actuator member in a relative position which maintains sound-silent condition of the switch means;

the releasable holding means, by impact of a goft club upon the ball, permitting the spring to cause the movable actuator member the carrier member to move relatively to one another to achieve sound-emitting condition of the switch means;

and there is provided operative access to the movable actuator member for manual force to be operatively applied to the movable actuator member to achieve silencing of the sound-emitting means, and also to establish said releasably-held condition of the releasable holding means to maintain the silence of the sound-emitting means, and to cock the device for the subsequent impacting of the ball by a goft club to re-start the sound-emitting operativity of the sound-emitting means, by a single manual force action of the user.

11. The invention as set forth in claim 10, in a combination in which the carrier member is a tubular member which provides a shell within which the movable actuator member is sliadably carried.

12. The invention as set forth in claim 10, in a combination in which the movable actuator member is a body member removed from the battery and the sound-emitting means, providing that neither of those two components move with the movable actuator member.

13. The invention as set forth in claim 10, in which the carrier member has a transverse wall at its inner end, and the innner carrier member has a transverse face at its inner end, and the spring is operatively bottomed against said wall and face.

14. The invention as set forth in claim 10, in a combination in which the releasable holding means is a latch means.

15. The invention as set forth in claim 14, in a combination in which the latch means comprises a resilient member attached to the outer carrier member, and provides a holding of them in sound-silent condition by the resilient member'"'"'s releasable engagement of the inner carrier member unless some external force causes a release of latch means by the inner carrier member forcing the resilient member to move from that latching engagement with the inner carrier member.