US1686774A - Supporting means for golf bags - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 9, 1928. 1,686,774

E. A. SFERRY SUPPORTING MEANS FOR GOLF BAGS Filed Sept. 10- 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 5141mm to c Oct. 9, 1928.

' 1,686,774 E. A. SPERRY SUPPORTiNG MEANS FOR GOLF BAGS Filed Se t. 10. 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 9, 1928.

PATENT OFFICE.

ELMER A. SPERRY, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

SUPPORTING MEANS FOR GOLF BAGS.

Application filed September 10, 1920. Serial No. 409,308.

This invention relates to improvements in supporting means for golf bags or containers. Owing to the rapid rise in popularity of the game of golf and the increasing difficulty in securing caddies it is becoming'necessary for players to carry their own clubs. The constant dropping of the clubs at each shot is likely to cause damage to the clubs and .the subsequent'stooping to pick up the bag causes extra fatigue- The weight of the player figures in this process and requires about twenty-five times the exertion represented in toting the bag. Stoopalso prevents the player from keeping the lie of the ball, which is exhis eye on tremely necessary in theabsense of caddies.

' tion as'applied to a golf bag, the partsbeing The chief object of. my-invention is to provide a golf bag or container which, when set down, will be automatically upstanding and which can readily be picked up without the necessity of the player stooping or losing the location of the shot.

Another object is the provision of means simple in construction'and reliable in operation for automatically causing the bag to stand as a tripod when placed on the; ground, in combination with means for caus-i mg the aforesaid means to assume itslnoperg ative position when the bag is picked up.

A further object of 'the invention is to provide a device as an attachment to an ordinary bag and also to incorporate in the operating mechanism certain essential cushioning means and also resilient retractile means. i

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as the description of the in: vcntion is hereinafter developed.

Referringto the drawings wherein I have shown what I now consider to be the preferred forms of my invention:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of my invenshown in the position which they assume when not in use for supporting the bag.

Fig. 2 isa side view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a'front elevation showing the invention in operative position for supporting the golf bag.

Fig. 4: is a side view of Fig.

h Fig. 5 is a rear view of one'of the elements of the supporting means, certain attachments thereto being omitted.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a detail.

Figs. 7 and 8 are detail views illustrating a modified-form of my invention.-

Fig. 9 is a detached detail.

Fig. 10 is a section through the clamping means at the upper end of the bag.

The attachment for supporting the golf bag 1 is shown as comprising a member 2, which may be of wood or other suitable light material of the required stifiness, to which are pivotally secured supporting legs 3 and 4. As shown, the leg 3 "may be pivoted between ears 5, 5 formed on members 5 5 suitably secured near member 2, said ears extending from one side thereof, while leg 4 may be pivotally mounted between similar ears 6, 6 also the top of formed on said members 5 5 said ears extending from the opposite side thereof. Ears 5., 5 and 6, 6' are inclined with respect to the plane of member 2, so that the pivotal axes of legs 3 and 4 are inclined with re down.' For attaching member 2 to the bag 1. Various means'may be employed, one example' of which I have shown in Figs. 1', 3, 5, and 6 and which may be constructed substantially as follows:

Plates 7 and 8 of suitable stiff material may be secured adjacent the 'top and bottom, respectively, of bagl. While these plates might be secured to the outside of the golf bag, I have for'illustrative purposes shown said plates within said bag. To the lower end of member 2, and on the rear side thereof, a metal plate 9 may be secured, said plate extending beyond the end of member 2 and having therein a slot 10 positioned be- 11. The slot 10 is of a'length and width sufficient to fit over a'longitudinal projection 12 having a stem 13 and secured to ,the outside of bag 1 as by means of a base plate 14 integral with said stem and fixed by means of screws to plate 8. The enlarged portion 11 of slot 10 is of a size to receive stem 13 and said stem is of a length substantially equal to the thickness of member 2. It Will now be seen from this construction that if member 2 be turned to a position at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the golf bag, projection 12 may be passed through slot 10, and thereupon, by turning member 2 to a position parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bag, the lower end jof'said member will be clamped b'etween ljprojection 12 and base plate 14 on the bag. The upper end of member 2 maybe secured to the plate 7 within bag 1 by means of a screw 15 adapted to pass through one 90f a plurality of apertures 16 in a plate "17 secured to said upper end of said member 2, and thence into a suitable aperture in plate 7. While only one aperture 16 may be provided, if desired, ll prefer to utilize a plurality of such apertures, so that if the length of the bag should vary, as through stretching of the bag, the screw 15 may be passed through that one of apertures 16 which registers with the screw receiving aperture in plate 7. Any desired number and suitable arrangement of said apertures 16 may, of course, be utilized. The screw 15 may be swiveled to one end of a chain 18 attached to member 2 so that said screw will be connected to said member when not in use, as shown in Fig. 1.

Slidable within guides 19 and 20 on member 2 is a thrust rod 21 which carries a cross head 22 to which links 23 and 24 are pivoted. Said links are pivotally connected at their other ends to legs 3 and 4, respectively. The crosshead 22 is shown in the form of a sleeve surrounding thrust rod 21 and is slidable with respect to said rod. linterposed be tween the lower end of said crosshead and an abutment 25 on rod 21 is a compression spring 26 which serves as a cushion between sail rod and crosshead. This is a highly important feature of my invention since without such=- cushioning means a sudden and violent upward movement of rod 21 would be likely to shear the pivot pins connecting links'r23 and 24 with the crosshead and legs 3 and 4. lit will readily be seen that the spring 26 permits relative motion between rod 21 and crosshead 22 and cushions any sudden shocks which might otherwise be imparted to said crosshead.

The lower end portion of rod 21 is adapted to fit within a sleeve 27 slidably mounted reserve in guides 28, 29 adjacent the bottom of member 2 and terminating beyond said bottom in a substantially hemispherical pro ect on or foot 30 having a flattened bottom Guide 29 may be mounted on a plate 40 similar to plate 9 and attached to the front of member '2. The upper portion 27 of said sleeve 27 is split as shown, and may be clamped tightly to rod 21 bymeans of a screw 31 passlng through suitable projections on the flange 35 at the upper end of the split portions of said sleeve. The said split portions may,'of course, be sufliciently resilient to unclamp said sleeve from rod 21 when screw 31 is turned in the proper direction. By this A spring 32 is interposed between guide I 20 and a projection 33 on rod 21 so that when rod 21 is moved upwardly said spring is compressed and, when the bag is lifted from the ground, said spring will return rod 21 and sleeve 27lto their normal positions shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Crosshead 22 is maintained by spring 26 in engagement with a collar 34 fixedly secured to rod 21, which collar, when thrust rod 21 is moved down wardly, restores crosshead 22 to its normal position and thereby brings legs 3 and 4 to their inoperative positions. Downward movement of rod 21 may be limited-either by an abutment 35 on the upper end of sleeve 27 engaging guide 28, or by an abutment 36 at the upper end of thrust rod 21 engaging a guide 19. Movement of rod'21 upwardly is limited by the engagement of foot 30 With the underside of guide 29.

lit will be seen that, with sleeve 27 adjusted to bring foot 30 below the bottom of the bag to whichmember 2 is attached, said foot will contact with the ground when the bag is set down, and the gravity of the assembly including the bag and clubs will cause thrust rod 21 to be moved upwardly, compressing spring 32 and moving crosshead 22 through spring 26 to throw legs 3 and 4 away from the bag and into their support ing positions shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The

golf bag is thus supported and is prevented I from falling to the ground, and subsequent stooping to pick up the bag is thereby rendered unnecessary. The parts should be so proportioned that foot 30, when in its fully elevated position, projects below the bottom of the bag, so that the full weight of, the bag and clubs contained therein may be applied to holding thrust rod 21 elevated against the action of spring 32 and consequently to maintaining legs 3 and 4 in their supporting positions.

When the bag is lifted from the ground, spring 32 restores thrust rod 21, foot 30, and crosshead 22 to their positions shown in Figs. land 2 and thereby moves legs 3 and 4 into their inoperative positions. Preferably the spring 32 possesses sufiicient initial tension to maintain legs 3 and 4 in firm engagement with the golf bag on either side of member 2 even when the bag is carried in a horizontal position. In the closed or in operative position of the legs 3 and 4 the links 23 and 24 should assume positions at substantial angles to the axes of said legs, so that not only may said links aid spring 32 in maintaining said legs against the golf bag, but also upon upward movement of crosshead 22 the said links will immediately cause said legs to move away from said bag and into their operative positions. It will ments in Figs.

readily be seen that outward movement of the legs to their ositions for supporting the bag is 'permitte by the inclination of the pivotal axes of said'leg with respect to the longitudinal axis of the bag.

The legs 3 and 4 are preferably provided with enlarged ends 37 which ends may be spherical, as shown. The shape of foot 30 is particularly useful sincethe flat bottom thereof affords maximum supporting contact with the ground, while the rounded upper surface will offer a-minimum of resistance to being dragged through the grass, or along the ground.

As has been above pointed out, it is important that the foot 30 be below the bottom of the bag even when said foot is fully elevated. It sometimes happens, however, that the bag stretches, so that the fully elevated position of said foot 30 is above the bottom of the bag. In order to prevent this and to rovide means for insuring that the foot 30 shall be below the bottom of the bag even when said foot is fully elevated, I have provided the means shown in Figs. 7 and 8 and constructed substantially as follows:

The sleeve 27 is adapted to fit slidably within another sleeve 38 slidable within a a guide 29' attached to member- 2'. Ele- 7 and 8 corresponding with similar elements in Figs. 1-6 are designated by the same reference numerals with a prime added. The sleeve 38 also passes through a clamping device 39. By loosening said clampthe sleeve-38 may be moved to any of a plurality of positions on member 2 and may thereupon be clamped in its adjusted position. The normal position of said sleeve is shown in Fig. 7, wherein the lower end of said sleeve is positioned substantially in the same plane as the lower end of guide 29. If however, the bag stretches, as shown in Fig. 8, sleeve 38 may be adjusted stroke of rod 21 and sleeve '27.

to the position shown in the latter figure,

and the lower end of said sleeve thus forms a stop for foot 30' to prevent the foot from assuming a position'above the bottom of the bag. It will be seen that in either position of sleeve 38 the top of said sleeve may coact with projection 35 on sleeve 27 to limit the downward movement of thrust rod 21. Sleeve 38 is preferably shorter than the distance from the underside of projection 35 to the upper face of foot 30 by one normal It will readily be seen that the adjustment 'of sleeve 38 permits the normal stroke of the thrust rod 21' and at the same time limits the upper position of foot 30 to a position below the bottom of the golf bag. I

While I have shown my invention as applied to a golf bag, it will be evident that it may be applied to a wide variety of containers for golf clubs or to other types of containers. By the term bag I mean any receptacle or container to which my invention may be applied.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have herein described the principle of operation of together with the apparatus, which Iv now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other means.v Also, While it is designed to use the various features and elements in the combination and relations described, some of these may be altered and others omitted without interfering with the more general results outlined, and the invention extends to such use.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1s:

1. In a golf bag support, a plurality'of movable supporting legs, means for moving said legs, and means for cushioning the blow transmitted initially by said first mentioned means to said legs.

2. In a support for golf bags, a plurality of movable supporting legs, means rendered operative automatically when the golf bag is set down for moving said legs into position for supporting the bag and cushioning means for cushioning the blow transmitted initially by said first mentioned means to said legs.

3. In a support for golf bags, a plurality of movable supporting legs, means including a movable element for moving said legs, and

means comprising a resilient member for cushioning the blow transmitted initially to said element. I

"4. In combination with a container for golf clubs, means rendered operative automatically when said container is set down for supporting said container, and means for on I my invention,

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7. In a support for golf bags, a plurality of movable supporting legs, an element con nected to said legs, a movable thrust member Io nwhich said element is loosely mounted, a

cushion means'between said thrust member and said element whereby movement of said thrust member imparts movement to said element.

8. In a support for golf bags, a plurality of movable supporting legs, means including a sleeve for moving said legs into position for supporting said bag, a movable thrust member on which said sleeve is mounted, and connecting means between said sleeve and member permitting relative play there- 'between.

9. In a folding golf bag stand, a plurality of swiveling supporting legs, a part adapted to be secured to the golf bag, means supported thereon for controlling the move.- ment of said legs and comprising a movable member, and resilient means in advance of said member, and means for actuating said b member through said resilient means.

10. In a golf bag support, a plurality of swiveling supporting legs, a movable thrust member, a crosshead mounted thereon for movement with respect thereto, connections between said crosshead and said legs, and

cushioning means between said thrust member and said crosshead.

11. In a golf bag support, a plurality of swiveling supporting legs, a part adapted to be secured to the'golf bag, means supported thereonfor controlling the movement of said legs and comprising amovable member, and

13. In a supporting device for golf bags, a member adapted to be secured to a golf bag, and means for securing said member to said bag at any of a plurality of points to allow for changes in the length of said bag, said means including a clamp carried by said member, a plate fixed to said bag and having a plurality of apertures therethrough, said clamp being adapted to extend through said bag and the cooperating aperture in said plate.

14. In a folding golf bag stand, a plurality of swiveling supporting legs, a member adapted to be secured to a golf bag, means supported on said member for controlling the movement of said legs and compris'ng a movable element, means for moving said element and resilient means between said last-named means, and said element, said resilient means being held under initial stress.

15. In a device for supporting a golf bag, a plurality of swiveling supporting'legs, a

member adapted to be secured to a golf bag,

means supported by said member for controlling the movement of said legs and comprising a movable element, means responsive to the setting down of said bag for moving said element in one direction, and means for cushioning the blow transmitted by said lastnamed means to said movable element.

16. In a golf bag support, a plurality of swiveling supporting legs, means including a foot member for moving said legs into position for supporting the bag, and adjustable means for limiting the movement of said foot member to prevent the same from assuming a position above the bottom of the 11. In a golf bag support, a plurality of swiveling supporting legs, means including a thrust member for moving said legs into position for supporting the bag, a foot member connected to said thrust member and adapted to actuate the latter when the golf bag is set down, means for limiting the upward movement of said foot member for preventing the latter from assuming a posi tion above the bottom of thebag, and means for varying the limit of upward movement of said foot member.

18. In a golf bag support, a plurality of swiveling supporting legs, means including a thrust element for moving said legs, a foot member connected to said thrust element and adapted to move the latter in one direction when the golf bag is set down, means for moving said element in the opp0sitedirection, means for limiting the movement of said thrust element in either of opposite directions, and means for varying said limits of movement without changing the length of movement of said element.

19. In a golf bag support, a plurality of swiveling supporting legs, means including a thrust element for moving said legs, a foot member connected to said element and to engage the other end of said sleeve on adapted to move the latter in one direction movement of said thrust element in the op- 10 when the golf bag is set down, means for posite direction, and means whereby said moving said element in the opposite direcsleeve may be adjusted to vary the limits of tion, a sleeve adapted to be engaged at one 'movement of said element. 1

end by said foot on movement of the thrust In testimony whereof I have afiixed my element in one direction, a projection movsignature.

able with said thrust element and adapted v ELMER A. SPERRY.

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