Golf training club

• US 5,277,427 A
• Filed: 05/27/1992
• Issued: 01/11/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: R.E.F. Golf Company
• Original Assignee: Geroge A. Potter, Robert M. Bryan
• Inventors: Potter, Geroge A., Bryan, Robert M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Marlo, George J.
• Application Number:
  US07/890,013
• Time in Patent Office: 594 Days
• Field of Search: 273/193 B, 273/81.3, 273/193 R, 273/193 A, 273/186.2, 273/187.4
• US Class Current: 473/232
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/0081 Substantially flexible shafts; Hinged shafts
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3632 Clubs or attachments on clubs, e.g. for measuring, aligning A63B69/3614 takes precedence; clubs for swinging exercises in general A63B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/32918 fork and tongue
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/32926 with interposed antifriction means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/32951 Transverse pin or stud

Abstract

The club has a hinge interposed on a shaft between the hand grip and club head, the hinge allowing the shaft to articulate about thirty degrees in both a front and back direction from the longitudinal axis of the shaft. The hinge has a female and male member. The female member is in the form of a yoke with a bore at the end of each yoke side arm. The male member has a body portion through which a bore passes and which is axially aligned with the bores of the yoke side arms. A pivot pin passes through these bores to provide the pivot point of the hinge. A U-shaped spring is attached to the female member interior to the yoke side arms. A ball bearing in a projecting nose of the male member rotates along the interior side arms of the spring. The ends of the female member side arms have pairs of oppositely directed ramps providing a stop along an outer shelf on each side of the male member body portion.

Claims

1. A golf training club having a hinge mechanism separating a grip and club head portion of a hollow golf club shaft, the hinge mechanism comprising:

(a) a female member having the form of a yoke with two oppositely facing side arms forming a cavity between the side arms, a first end portion of each side arm having a transverse bore, a second end portion of the side arms attached to a female member base integral with a first mounting rod extending away from the side arms along a longitudinal axis between the side arms,

(b) a male member having a male member base with a second mounting rod extending away from the male member along the longitudinal axis of the first mounting rod, a nose portion integral with the male member base extending from the male member base in an opposite direction from the second mounting rod, a hardened ball bearing mounted in an aperture in an end of the nose portion distal from the male member base, a transverse bore in the male member between the ball bearing and male member base,

(c) a U-shaped spring mounted within the cavity in the female member, a base portion of the U-shaped spring attached to the female member base, a pair of side arms of the U-shaped spring being in a plane substantially parallel to the female member side arms,

(d) the ball bearing in the nose portion of the male member mounted to engage an inside edge of each spring side arm,

(e) an alignment device passing through the transverse bores of each female member side arm and the transverse bore of the male member to axially align the female and male members together,

(f) the first and second mounting rods permanently mounted within the hollow golf club shaft to join the grip and head portions of the golf club shaft, the hinge maintaining the golf club shaft in a contiguous longitudinal axis when the golf club is properly swung, but causing the ball bearing to disengage from the spring and cause the club shaft to articulate when the club is swung improperly.

2. A golf training club according to claim 1 wherein one transverse bore of the female member side arms is threaded to engage threads at one end of the alignment device.

3. A golf training club according to claim 2 wherein the alignment device is a pivot pin.

4. A golf training club according to claim 1 wherein the side arms of the U-shaped spring each has a transverse bore for seating the hardened ball bearing when the grip and head portions of the shaft are aligned.

5. A golf training club according to claim 1 wherein the ball bearing is offset from the U-shaped spring upon exertion of more than fourteen pounds of pressure on the hinge.

6. A golf training club according to claim 1 wherein a set screw is mounted transversely on a side of each female member side arm and exerts tension on a side arm of the U-shaped spring.

7. A golf training club according to claim 1 wherein a bushing is mounted within the transverse bore in the male member and the alignment device passes through the bushing.