Golf ball teeing apparatus

• US 6,348,008 B1
• Filed: 05/23/2000
• Issued: 02/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: August Bertoniere Jr
• Original Assignee: August Bertoniere Jr
• Inventors: Bertoniere, August Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chapman, Jeanette
• Assistant Examiner(s): Legesse, Nini F.
• Application Number:
  US09/576,698
• Time in Patent Office: 637 Days
• Field of Search: 473/132, 473/133, 473/134, 473/137
• US Class Current: 473/132
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 57/0006 Automatic teeing devices devices for automatically dispensing balls in general A63B47/002

Abstract

A device for storing golf balls and dispensing them onto a bed of bristles that serves as a golf tee.

Claims

1. An automatic golf ball teeing apparatus comprising:

a bucket (10);

a declining spiraled tube member (12), that is about two inches in diameter positioned in the bucket, wherein said declining spiraled tube having a ball loading end (53) and a ball dispensing end (54),

an internal control mechanism comprising a control member (20), a lift member (22), a control chamber (16), a consistency member (24), a base (14), an exit member (26), a spring (36) and a lever (34);

wherein said control chamber is mounted on the base that is connected to the inside bottom of the bucket;

said control chamber and exit member are in line in such a way that a ball can be moved from control chamber into the exit member;

wherein said control member runs perpendicularly through the control chamber, and continues to the outside of the bucket through a hole in the side of the bucket;

said lever is an angular extension of the control member and depressing said lever will rotate the control member;

said lift member and said consistency member are connected to said control member;

said lift and control members have a space between them which is about two-thirds the diameter of a golf ball allowing the lifting of a ball;

said consistency and said control members have a space between them just bigger than a golf ball so that said consistency member is able to temporarily catch and stop the ball;

said control chamber and the exit chamber each has a clearance hole at their top portion that allows said lift member to carry a ball over said control member then be stopped temporarily by consistency member, said spring returns the control member to an original position, said consistency member (24) is lifted and the ball is allowed to proceed down a slope of the exit member;

said control member is returned to its original position by means of said spring and said exit member is attached to said base by means of a hinge(28);

an angle/speed adjustment member comprising three portions;

first portion (51) of said member is connected to said exit member, a second portion (50) of said speed adjustment is a rotatable threaded rod and the third portion (52) is a screw bolt that connects the first and the second portions of the angle/speed adjustment member;

said rod (50) is rotatably attached to (52);

wherein when rod (50) is rotated, the exit member (26) is moved up or down depending on a direction of rotation; and

a tee mat (48).

2. The golf ball teeing apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

said tee mat (48) is made of bristles of flexible material and includes a channel (44) formed by bristles of a shorter length than a wall of surrounding other bristles.