Golf ball teeing-up device

• US 5,916,033 A
• Filed: 12/26/1997
• Issued: 06/29/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: William L. Doherty
• Original Assignee: William L. Doherty
• Inventors: Doherty, William L.
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, STEVEN B
• Application Number:
  US08/998,491
• Time in Patent Office: 550 Days
• Field of Search: 473/132, 473/133, 473/134, 473/135, 473/136, 473/137
• US Class Current: 473/135
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 57/0006 Automatic teeing devices devices for automatically dispensing balls in general A63B47/002

Abstract

Disclosed is a device for teeing up golf balls having a hopper, a cycle start button, and an adjustable rubber tee. The hopper is operatively connected to the teeing up device to supply golf balls through the gravity fed supply tube to the rubber tee. The teeing up device comprises an air cylinder for raising and lowering in a cylinder tube to receive golf balls one at a time.

Claims

1. A golf ball teeing-up device comprising a horizontal base plate with a artificial turf attached to top surface of said base plate, a ball hopper attached to said base plate on top of said artificial turf positioned near an end of said artificial turf and said base plate to prevent a club head from coming in contact with said ball hopper when driving golf balls from either left handed or right handed position once the operator touches a cycle start button attached beneath said base plate located between said ball hopper and a rubber tee protruding just above said artificial turf in such position to eliminate need for operator to move their feet, take hands off the club, or bend over when cycling said golf ball teeing up device from tee-up position to tee-up position, once said cycle start button is touched said rubber tee drops down perpendicular to said base plate below a gravity ball supply tube which is slightly inclined allowing balls placed in said hopper into said slightly inclined gravity ball supply tube to roll onto said rubber tee allowing one ball at a time to be placed on top of said rubber tee during each cycle, said rubber tee is adjustable for tee off lie height or fairway lie height by pushing down and turning one quarter turn on a spring loaded bayonet adjustable sleeve between cycles locking said sleeve into position, said spring loaded bayonet adjustable sleeve having pins pushed through in opposite directions protruding outward so as to locate into four holes positioned in opposite directions on said rubber tee thus locking said rubber tee onto said spring loaded bayonet adjustable sleeve until worn out, said rubber tee and said spring loaded bayonet adjustable sleeve is prevented from being destroyed when a club head is thrust against said rubber tee by a thrust disc which rides vertically with said rubber tee and said spring loaded bayonet adjustable sleeve during a lift stroke, said thrust disc having a anti-rotation key protruding horizontally out into a vertical slot in a cylinder tube which prevents a lift cylinder shaft from rotating whenever said rubber tee adjustments are made, a lift cylinder being resistant to moisture having a rod seal/mounting nut mounted on top of said lift cylinder concentric to said lift cylinder shaft, said rod seal/mounting nut also holding in place a locating disc which holds said lift cylinder concentric to said cylinder tube, said lift cylinder is held at the bottom of said cylinder tube by a anchoring nut which keeps said lift cylinder in position both concentrically and against the bottom of said cylinder tube, said golf ball teeing-up device having an air supply connected to said lift cylinder.

2. The golf ball teeing-up device of claim 1 wherein a cycle start button is disposed between said ball hopper and said rubber tee whereby a left handed or right handed golfer can touch the cycle start button with a sole of a club preventing a golfer from having to move their feet, bend over, or take hands from the club.

3. The golf ball teeing-up device of claim 1 wherein a air control valve system activating an air cylinder through valves contains the key component to said air control valve system which is a normally open three way valve which maintains pressure while the lift cylinder is retracting and pushing air out of the bottom of the lift cylinder through a tee in a four way valve of said air control valve system and into one end of the normally open three way valve holding the normally open three way valve actuated and when the lift cylinder is fully retracted the pressure is eliminated in the normally open three way valve to return to normal condition allowing air to pass.

4. The golf ball teeing-up device of claim 3 and further including said air control valve system at mid-cycle where air passes through a normally open three way valve and through a needle valve into a four way valve shifting the four way valve back to its inactivated position leaving the said lift cylinder shaft extended.

5. The golf ball teeing-up device of claim 4 and further including three flow control valves which are located on the said four way valve controlling the upward speed and retracting speed by releasing air from the said four way valve and the third flow control valve located between the said four way valve and the said normally open three way valve on the said needle valve controlling the dwell or the time the rubber tee is at the bottom of its stroke.

6. The golf ball teeing-up device of claim 1 wherein the adjustable tee makes it possible to adjust the height in two positions predetermined by the bayonet style slot cut into a tube placed over a solid post so that a pin protruding from said solid post rides in the said bayonet style slot giving it the ability to be positioned either at the bottom of said bayonet slot for the tee off lie on the highest point to the other peak of the bayonet style slot being the lowest point for fairway lie controlled by a spring placed between the bottom of said tube and a anti-rotation key allowing for a simple push turn and release mechanism thus maintaining tension at each position preventing a premature adjustment.

7. The golf ball teeing-up device of claim 1 wherein side load is eliminated by a thrust disc whenever said rubber tee is hit with a club head thus preventing fatigue to the said lift cylinder and said lift cylinder shaft by thrusting against the inner walls of the said cylinder tube.

8. The golf ball teeing-up device of claim 7 further includes a locating disc mounted on the end of said lift cylinder concentric to the center of said lift cylinder tube and the inner walls of said lift cylinder tube holding the top end of said lift cylinder in position both vertically and horizontally allowing the ball to travel from tee up position to tee up position without rubbing the inner walls of said cylinder tube when said lift cylinder is attached to bottom of said cylinder tube and anchored with an anchoring nut.

9. The golf ball teeing-up device of claim 1 wherein the rod seal/mounting nut is designed to prevent moisture from entering said lift cylinder around the cylinder shaft sleeve by wiping said cylinder shaft each time it moves downward from the upward position and is sealed with sealant at the threads to prevent moisture from seeping in thus giving the golf ball teeing device ability to operate in water.