Golf ball teeing device with photocell and counter operated control means

Claim 1

A GOLF BALL TEEING DEVICE COMPRISING A FRAME ADAPTED TO BE DISPOSED IN UNDERGROUND POSITION HAVING AN EXPOSED UPPER PLATFORM PORTION PROVIDING A GOLF BALL EJECTING OPENING THERETHROUGH, AN ELONGATED TUBULAR GOLF BALL GUIDED MEMBER MOUNTED ON THE PLATFORM IN DEPENDING RELATION THEREFROM IN REGISTRY WITH SAID OPENING, A SOURCE OF GOLF BALLS, AN ELONGATED INCLINED GOLF BALL DELIVERY TUBE HAVING A LOWER END CONNECTED TO SAID GUIDE MEMBER IN DOWNWARDLY SPACED RELATION FROM SAID PLATFORM AND AN UPPER END CONNECTED TO SAID COURCE OF GOLF BALLS AN ELONGATED PISTON RECIPROCATABLY DISPOSED WITHIN SAID GOLF BALL GUIDE MEMBER PROVIDING OPPOSITE UPPER AND LOWER ENDS, A TUBULAR TEE OF RESILIENTLY FLEXIBLE MATERIAL MOUNTED ON SAID UPPER END OF THE PISTON IN UPPER EXTENSION THEREFROM, A ROCKER BAR HAVING AN END PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON THE FRAME IN DOWNWARDLY SPACED RELATION FROM THE PLATFORM AND AN OPPOSITE END PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID PISTON, SAID ARM INCLUDING SPACED SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL UPPER AND LOWER SIDE SURFACES, AN ELECTRICALLY POWERED MOTOR MOUNTED ON THE FRAME HAVING A ROTATABLE CRANK ARM PROVIDING A ROLLER DISPOSED IN CONTINUOUS ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID UPPER SIDE SURFACE OF SAID ROCKER BAR INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS, A COIN ACTUATED ELECTRICAL CONTROL CIRCUIT CONNECTED TO SAID MOTOR, A PHOTO-ELECTRIC SWITCH DISPOSED IN SAID CIRCUIT AND MOUNTED WITHIN THE PISTON TO RECEIVE EXTERNALLY AVAILABLE LIGHT THROUGH SAID TUBULAR TEE UPON REMOVAL OF THE GOLF BALL THEREFROM FOR COMPLETING THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT TO THE MOTOR FOR ENERGIZING THE SAME TO ROTATE SAID CRANK ARM AND ROLLER DOWNWARDLY AGAINST SAID UPPER SIDE SURFACE OF THE ROCKER BAR SO AS TO MOTIVATE THE PISTON DOWNWARDLY THROUGH SAID GUIDE MEMBER TO A LOWER RETRACTED POSITION WITH THE TEE DISPOSED BELOW THE LOWER END OF THE DELIVERY TUBE GRAVITATIONALLY TO RECEIVE A GOLF BALL THEREON WITH SAID GOLF BALL BLOCKING SAID EXTERNALLY AVAILABLE LIGHT TO SAID PHOTO-ELECTRIC SWITCH TO INTERRUPT THE FLOW OF ELECTRICAL CURRENT TO THE MOTOR FOR DE-ENERGIZING THE SAME, AN ELONGATED TENSION SPRING EXTENDED BETWEEN SAID ROCKER BAR AND SAID GUIDE MEMBER TO RETURN SAID PISTON AND SUCH A GOLF BALL THEREON UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID GUIDE MEMBER TO DISPOSED THE GOLF BALL IN BALL STRIKING POSITION WITH SAID PISTON BLOCKING THE GOLF BALL DELIVERY TUBE DURING MOVEMENT OF THE PISTON TO SAID UPPER BALL STRIKING POSITION, A COUNTER CONNECTED TO SAID ROCKER BAR HAVING A SWITCH PORTION IN SAID ELECTRICAL CONTROL CIRCUIT FOR INTERRUPTING THE FLOW OF CURRENT TO SAID MOTOR UPON A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF CYCLES OF THE PISTON BETWEEN ITS UPPER AND LOWER POSITIONS, AND ELECTRICAL MEANS ENERGIZED BY INITIAL ACTUATION OF SAID COIN OPERATED CONTROL CIRCUIT TO RE-SET SAID SWITCH PORTION OF THE COUNTER DURING SUBSEQUENT ACTUATION OF SAID CIRCUIT AND SAID COUNTER.