Golf club carrying cart

April 14, 1959 j. η. idoux 2,881,925

GOLF CLUB CARRYING CART Filed May 4, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1

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April 14, 1959 j. h. idoux 2,881,925

GOLF CLUB CARRYING CART

Filed May 4. 1955

Sheets-Sheet 2

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United States Patent Office

2,881,925

Patented Apr. 14, 1959

2,881,925

GOLF CLUB CARRYING CART

Joseph H. Idoux, Belleville, DI.

Application May 4, 1955, Serial No. 505,900

Claim. (Cl. 211—60)

This invention relates to improvements in golf club carrying carts and consists in the novel construction hereinafter disclosed.

Mechanical devices for transporting golf clubs over courses during play have become increasingly popular. As originally designed, these devices were constructed as carriers for bags containing the golf clubs, which bags could be mounted on the cart and rolled over the course and the bags removed for manual transporting and for storage.

More recently, a number of golf club carrying carts have been proposed to receive and support a full set of golf clubs in such a manner that the usual golf bag may be dispensed with and the clubs retained in the cart for use during play and for transporting and storing the clubs when not in use. The present invention deals with the latter type of device.

It is a general object of the present invention to improve the construction of the latter type of golf cart by providing primarily a strong light structure, which may be manually carried and transported in a collapsed condition, and which may be readily extended for use and conveniently moved over the course during play by propelling it manually by the individual player.

This general objective is attained by the provision of a relatively light chassis, which includes a frame having formed in connection therewith a series of individualized supports for a relatively large set of golf clubs in an upright position, that is, with the heads firmly supported in appropriately formed sockets designed for the different types of clubs and the shafts of the clubs individually secured in position, all in such a manner that the clubs may be individually removed and replaced readily and conveniently.

Another more specific object is to construct a device of this character so that the individual clubs may be mounted in and removed from their appropriate supports in such a way that when moved over even very rough ground they will be held in position and likewise be supported for manual transportation and stored when not in use without becoming displaced.

Another specific object is to provide a device of this character which may be economically manufactured, which will be strong and durable in use, and which may be portable manually and provide a club storing unit occupying a minimum amount of space.

Additional detailed advantages of the connstruction will appear from the following detailed disclosure of the improvement taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the cart shown in extended position;

Figure 2 is a view of the right side of the cart as illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a rear view of the cart in extended adjustment;

Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical section substantially on the line 4—4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is an enlarged view of the lower portion of the cart frame partially in section in order to illustrate in greater detail the arrangement of the supports for the clubs;

Figure 6 is a rear view of the cart in collapsed condition;

Figure 7 is a view of the right side of the cart as illustrated in Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a horizontal section taken substantially 10 on the line 8—8 of Figure 2;

Figure 9 is a horizontal section taken substantially on the line 9—9 of Figure 6; and

Figure 10 is a detailed view of a T support.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the 15 drawings, the main frame is preferably formed from a preformed strip of angle metal, thereby providing side members 1 and 2 and a curved or rounded top section 3. This construction affords a strong outer support for the chassis of the cart.

At the lower end of the side members 1 and 2 of the frame is a trough-like platform including a bottom wall 4, a front wall 5 and a back plate 6. The back plate 6 extends upwardly from the bottom of the frame a substantial distance, as will be observed more particularly 25 by reference to Figure 4.

The ends of the trough-like member include side plates 7 and 8 at either side. All of these parts are rigidly secured together. As illustrated, there is provided a transverse reinforcing heel plate 9 attached to the outer 30 face of the wall of the lower part of the plate 6, and the end members 7 and 8 are connected with the lower ends of the members 1 and 2 and with the front plate 5 of the platform.

On the front face of the plate 6 extending from the 35 bottom thereof for a substantial distance is a layer of resilient material 10, the purpose of which is to form a protective cover for the lower part of the plate 6 when certain of the clubs are mounted and dismounted from their supports.

A preformed club head supporting member, preferably formed from a unitary molded rubber or rubber type body, is generally indicated at A. This member is mounted in the trough-like platform that has been described.

The member A is a unitary structure formed of suitable resilient material, as indicated, and includes a continuous bottom wall 11, a front wall 12, a back wall 13, and a lip 14 that extends inwardly from the top edge of the wall 12. There is a series of spaced partitions 50 carrying a common designation 15 that divide the member A into a plurality of different width sockets. These sockets are appropriately dimensioned to receive the heads of the different types of golf clubs.

For example, as illustrated in Figure 5, the outer ones 55 of these sockets are of narrow width to receive the heads of the longer shanked irons, whereas the intermediate ones are of varying widths to accommodate the various greater dimensions of the wood heads of the clubs.

g0 There is a second series of individually formed members B. Each of the members B likewise includes a bottom wall 16, a front wall 17, an inwardly extended lip 18, and a back wall 19. This second series of club head receiving members is attached to the member 6.

It will be noted from the illustration in Figure 5 that the members B have varying cross dimensions to accommodate the different dimensions of the heads of the irons, and that they are so coordinated in position with the position of the sockets 15 that each individual club may be seated in its appropriate support with the club shafts substantially equally spaced.

The means for supporting the individual shafts of the

2,881,825 clubs includes cross bars 20 and 21, supported at spaced elevations between the side members 1 and 2 of the chassis frame. It will be noted by reference to Figure 1 that these cross members 20 and 21 carry spring clips generally designated by the numeral 22.

On the front face of the member 20 there is provided a pair of clips, but on the front face of the member 21 there is a series of clips, all of the clips being appropriately spaced, as illustrated by the dotted lines in Figure 1, so that when the club heads are mounted in their respective sockets the shafts will extend vertically in spaced relationship and be securely held by the shanks entering the appropriate clip positioned in vertical alignment with the individual sockets.

By reference particularly to Figure 4 of the drawings, it will be noted that the sockets coordinated with the clips holding the shanks of the clubs provide a very convenient means for ready mounting and dismounting the individual clubs from their individual supports. In that view, a club in the lower series of sockets is shown in position, from which it will be understood that the particular formation of each of the individual sockets provides a support for the club head that will avoid any accidental displacement of it and which will protect it from damage. In that view also in dotted lines is indicated the manner in which a club is mounted in or removed from its appropriate socket.

The collapsible running gear for the cart chassis includes a wheel frame which incorporates a pair of metal channel members 25 and 26 pivoted at their upper ends at 27 and 28 to the side members 1 and 2 of the frame. A tubular cross brace 29 is attached to the inner face of the members 27 and 28, and a second tubular cross brace 30 is supported near the lower ends of the members 27 and 28, the member 30 providing an axle upon which a pair of wheels 31 and 32 are mounted.

A support for the operating handle to collapse and extend the running gear includes a bar 35 which extends vertically centrally of the frame attached at its lower end to the cross bar 20 and at its upper end to the curved section 3 of the frame. A third transverse bar 36 attached to the side members 1 and 2 of the frame to the bar 35 intermediate of its ends provides with the said bar 35 a reinforced support for the operating handle at the area where the bars 35 and 36 cross.

A bracket 40 is secured to the back face of said members at the point where they are joined, and a clevis 41 is pivoted to the bracket at 42. A tubular member 43 extends from the member 41 and, together with a hand piece 44, constitutes the operating handle to extend and collapse the running gear.

A link in the form of a small rod 45 is pivoted to the clevis 41 eccentrically of its pivot mounting, extends downwardly, and is connected to the cross bar 29 centrally thereof, and together with the clevis 41, which is manually raised and lowered by the handle, constitutes the means for operating the running gear to extended position when raised, and to collapsed or folded adjustment when lowered. Any appropriate means for holding the handle in its selected adjustment may be provided.

As illustrated, the means for securing the handle in its upper position includes a U-shaped bracket 50 mounted upon the bar 35. A sliding bolt 52 is carried in a support 53 which is adjacent to a lug 51 mounted upon the tubular member 43 of the handle when the handle is in raised position. When raised the bolt locks the handle in its raised position, and when lowered releases this holding means and permits the handle to be lowered.

When the handle is lowered, it is held in this adjustment by a manually operated spring actuated latch lever 54 mounted in a bracket 55 carried by the back face of a cross bar 56 mounted in the frame back of the upper edge of the back plate 6. The nose of the latch 54 when the handle is brought to its lowermost position snaps into a hole 57 formed in a nipple 58 attached to the lower end ' 4 .

of the member 45, and into which the lower end of the rod 45 is connected. As will be obvious, manual pressure on the tail of the latch 54 serves to release the latch from its detent permitting the handle to be released and raised to its upper adjustment.

From the foregoing description, it will be obvious that by operation of the handle the running gear may be extended, as shown particularly in Figure 2, and latched in this position, or may be folded to collapsed position, as shown particularly in Figure 7.

When in extended position, the entire frame is tilted backwardly, and when so adjusted the clubs may be conveniently selected as all of them may be viewed by the player. In this position, the individual clubs are in their appropriate sockets, the bottom face of each club resting on the bottom wall in its respective socket. During this adjustment, the wall remains in a horizontal position.

When removing a club or returning it to its socket, the club shank is released from its holding clip and tilted forward, as shown in dotted lines in Figures 2 and 4.

From these views as well as by reference to Figure 7, the purposes and advantages of the construction of the individual sockets will be appreciated.

As illustrated particularly in Figure 4, it will be observed that when a club is seated and the cart is in running adjustment, the appropriate socket for each club permits the club to rest in a position with the club head held horizontally and the shaft to be backwardly inclined and held from displacement by its respective clip. Moreover, the lips 14 and 18 which extend over the forward upper edge of the club head prevent the club from accidentally being jolted out of its socket, but still permit it to be readily removed by tilting the shank forward as has been explained.

When the cart is in collapsed adjustment, the weight of the clubs and seating of the shanks in their respective clips positions the clubs vertically over the respective sockets and maintains them in a vertical position in spaced relation. Also, the clubs will be prevented from jolting out of their positions and will be retained in place even though subjected to rough handling during transportation.

In order to enhance the convenience of the device for its specific purpose a golf ball retainer is mounted on the front face of the member 35. This device includes a pair of spring arms 60 and 61 carried by said member in vertically spaced relation. Spring rods 62 are carried in laterally spaced relationship by these arms a distance apart slightly less than the diameter of the standard golf ball. A plurality of golf balls may be mounted between said rods and retained in position, from which they may be readily removed and replaced.

As a further convenience, there is attached to the front face of the cross bar 36 a resilent strip of material 65 having a laterally spaced series of holes to receive and carry wood tees.

These two latter features are not to be considered part of the present invention, but are illustrated and described for the reason that it is intended that they will be incorporated in the commercial embodiments of the cart.

While the structure has been described in detail, it should be understood that structural changes may be made while within the invention, as defined in the following claim.