Putter with ball marker

• US 8,313,393 B1
• Filed: 08/06/2010
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Citrus County Association For Retarded Citizens, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Citrus County Association For Retarded Citizens, Inc.
• Inventors: Toxen, Richard W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Gene
• Assistant Examiner(s): SIMMS JR, JOHN ELLIOTT
• Application Number:
  US12/851,719
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 473/285, 473/324, 473/334, 473/335, 473/336, 473/337, 473/338, 473/340, 473/350, 473/406
• US Class Current: 473/324
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/08 magnetic
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0441 with visual indicators for aligning the golf club
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0487 for putters A63B53/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 57/207 Golf ball position marker holders
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 57/353 Golf ball position markers
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 23/0066 on sports articles, e.g. golf clubs

Abstract

Devices, apparatus, and methods of storing and releasing a ball marker from the bottom of a head of the golf club, such as a putter. A compartment in the bottom of the golf club head has a side opening adjacent to the rear of the golf club head for allowing a disc shaped ball marker to be slid into the compartment, and sliding the marker in reverse allows the marker to be slid out of and removed from the compartment. A magnet can also be used. Also, the compartment can have grooved side walls that act as tracks to allow the marker to be slid into and out of the compartment. A removable top disc and front plate on the golf club head allows for advertising indicia and logos to be placed on the head of the golf club.

Claims

1. A golf club with compartment for holding a ball marker comprising:

a head of a golf club having a flat bottom side, a top side, and a front side, a rear side, a contiguous left side between the front side and the rear side, and a contiguous right side between the front side and the rear side;

a longitudinal U-shaped compartment in the bottom side of the golf club head, the compartment having an opening through the rear side of the head next to the bottom side, and the compartment having closed side walls with a concave curved front wall, a closed flat upper wall, and a U-shaped opening under the compartment through the bottom side of the golf club head, the closed flat upper wall of the longitudinal U-shaped compartment being parallel to the flat bottom side of the golf club head;

track slots along both of the side walls of the compartment extending from the opening in the rear side of the head to the curved front wall of the compartment;

a first magnet mounted in the upper wall of the U-shaped compartment, the magnet being closer to the concave curved front wall than to the opening to the compartment; and

a disc shaped metal ball marker that is slid into and out of the opening in the rear side of the club head into the compartment by the track slots, so that the ball marker is held within the compartment by both the first magnet and track slots;

an opening in at least one side of the head having a second magnet for attaching a removable indicia plate to the opening.

2. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the golf club is a putter.

3. The golf club of claim 1, further comprising:

a removable circular disc as the plate having an upper surface for the indicia.

4. The golf club of claim 1, further comprising:

a removable rectangular plate having an upper surface for the indicia.

7. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the side walls of the U-shaped compartment/cavity are straight and parallel to one another, and that the opening through the rear side of the head to the compartment is in the middle of the rear side of the head.

9. The golf club of claim 1, wherein each of the track slots includes:

a T-shaped slot in the cavity for allowing edges of the marker to slide therein by friction between the edges of the marker and the track slots in the side walls of the cavity.

10. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the magnet is fixably mounted in an indentation in the closed flat upper wall of the compartment under a main center of gravity of the head, and the edges of the marker being underneath portions of both sides of the track slots and against the concave curved front wall in a lock position is located under the main center of gravity of the head, so that leaving the marker in the lock position in the compartment during play does not offset balance of the head of the golf putter.

5. A golf putter, comprising:

a head having a flat bottom side, a top side, and a front side, a rear side, a contiguous left side wall between the front side and the rear side, and a contiguous right side wall between the front side and the rear side;

a longitudinal U-shaped cavity in the bottom side of the head, the cavity having a opening through the rear side of the head next to the bottom side, and the cavity having closed side walls, a curved front wall, a closed upper flat wall, and an opening under the cavity through the bottom side of the head, the closed upper flat wall of the U-shaped cavity being parallel to the flat bottom side of the head;

a first magnet mounted in the upper wall of the U-shaped cavity, the magnet being closer to the curved front wall than to the opening to the U-shaped cavity;

track slots along both of the side walls of the cavity extending from the opening in the rear side of the head to the curved front wall of the cavity; and

a disc shaped metal ball marker slidable into and out of the opening in the rear side of the head into the cavity, wherein the track slots along the side walls of the cavity allow edges of the marker to slide therein, so that the ball marker is held within the cavity by the first magnet and the track slots; and

an opening on at least one side of the head having a second magnet for attaching a removable indicia plate.

6. The golf putter of claim 5, wherein each of the track slots includes:

a T-shaped slot in the cavity for allowing edges of the marker to slide therein by friction between the edges of the marker and the track slots in the side walls of the cavity.

8. The golf club of claim 5, wherein the side walls of the U-shaped cavity are straight and parallel to one another, and that the opening through the rear side of the head to the cavity is in the middle of the rear side of the head.

11. The golf putter of claim 5, wherein the first magnet is fixably mounted in an indentation in the closed flat upper wall of the cavity under a main center of gravity of the head, and the edges of the marker being underneath portions of both sides of the track slots and against the concave curved front wall in a lock position is located under the main center of gravity of the head, so that leaving the marker in the lock position in the cavity during play does not offset balance of the head of the golf putter.