Contourable green with randomly operable contour selection

Claim 2

In a contourable green for a golf game including a supporting structure, a platform having an upper playing surface mounted on the supporting structure, and means for moving the supporting structure to distort the platform and thereby the playing surface, an improvement wherein said moving means comprises a plurality of independently operated self-reversing power operating means for reciprocally moving portions of the platform up and down over a preselected vertical range and means to control said moving means comprising an electronic timer circuit for each of said power operating means said timer circuit being operative upon initiation to activate its associated power operating means for a preselected period of time, said operative time periods being so related to the operating speed and vertical range of said self-reversing power operating means as to result in each stopping sequentially at a multitude of unique vertical positions upon successive periods of operation, and manually operated means for simultaneously initiating each of said timer circuits; whereby said upper playing surface is caused to sequentially assume a great multitude of unique three dimensional contours upon successive actuations of said manual operating means.

Claim 3

A contourable green according to claim 1 wherein each of said power operated means comprises a motor driven hydraulic pump and a double acting hydraulic cylinder, and wherein each of said timer circuits is operative to energize one of said motor driven hydraulic pumps.

Claim 4

A contourable green according to claim 2 wherein each of said timer circuits includes an RC circuit operative to de-energize said motor driven hydraulic pump after a predetermined time period dependent upon the electrical characteristics of said RC circuit.

Claim 5

A contourable green according to claim 3 wherein the RC circuit of the timer circuit for one of said motor driven hydraulic pumps is set to have a different time constant than the RC circuit for the other of said pumps.

Claim 6

A contourable green for use in a golf game comprising: a rigid but distortable platform having an upper playing surface; a plurality of laterally spaced beam structures supporting said platform, each said beam structure being comprised of a plurality of pivotally interconnected beams; means mounting each said beam for pivotal movement in the vertical plane; means yieldably securing said platform to said beams; at least two double acting hydraulic cylinders, each interposed between a stationary structure and one of said beam structures and connected to the latter at a point remote from said pivotal mounting means for each beam; at least two energizable hydraulic pumps for providing fluid under pressure to an associated one of said hydraulic cylinders; and means for energizing each of said energizable pumps, said energizing means comprising a plurality of electrical circuits, one for each pump, and having a common master actuating switch adapted to be momentarily closed by a golfer for applying power simultaneously to said control circuits, each said circuit further comprising means to energize an associated pump upon the actuating of said master switch and means to de-energize said pump at the expiration of a predetermined time interval including an RC circuit energizable upon the closing of said master switch and responsive to a predetermined charge thereon, the RC circuit of one of said control circuits having a different time constant than the RC circuit for another of said control circuits.

Claim 7

A contourable green for use in a golf game comprising: a rigid but distortable platform having an upper playing surface; a plurality of laterally spaced beam structures supporting said platform, each said beam structure being comprised of a plurality of pivotally interconnected beams; means mounting each said beam for pivotal movement in the vertical plane; means yieldably securing said platform to said beams; at least two double acting hydraulic cylinders, each interposed between a stationary structure and one of said beam structures and connected to the latter at a point remote from said pivotal mounting means for each beam; at least two energizable hydraulic pumps for providing fluid under pressure to an associated one of said hydraulic cylinders; and means for energizing each of said energizable pumps, said energizing means comprising a plurality of electrical circuits, one for each pump, and having a common master actuating switch adapted to be momentarily closed by a golfer for applying power simultaneously to said control circuits, each said circuit further comprising means to energize an associated pump upon the actuating of said master switch and means to de-energize said pump at the expiration of a predetermined time interval including an RC circuit energizable upon the closing of said master switch and responsive to a predetermined charge thereon, the RC circuit of one of said control circuits having a different time constant than the RC circuit for another of said control circuits.

Claim 8

A variably contourable playing surface comprising: a supporting structure a rigid but distortable platform the top surface of which comprises a playing surface and Means for movably supporting said platform upon said supporting structure, means to vary the contour of said playing surface comprising a plurality of power driven units each varying the elevation of an associated portion of said platform over a predetermined vertical range as a function of time in operation, said power driven units being self-reversing at the upper and lower extremities of the predetermined vertical range, and means to control the operation of said plurality of power driven units including means to commonly initiate operation of said units and means including an electronic time constant circuit to independently terminate the operation of each of said power driven means upon the expiration of discrete time intervals selected to cause each of said power driven means to move to a substantially unique position upon each such common initiation.

Claim 9

A variably contourable playing surface comprising: a supporting structure a rigid but distortable platform the top surface of which comprises a playing surface and Means for movably supporting said platform upon said supporting structure, means to vary the contour of said playing surface comprising a plurality of power driven units each varying the elevation of an associated portion of said platform over a predetermined vertical range as a function of time in operation, said power driven units being self-reversing at the upper and lower extremities of the predetermined vertical range, and means to control the operation of said plurality of power driven units including means to commonly initiate operation of said units and means including an electronic time constant circuit to independently terminate the operation of each of said power driven means upon the expiration of discrete time intervals selected to cause each of said power driven means to move to a substantially unique position upon each such common initiation.

Claim 10

The device of claim 6 wherein said means to control said plurality of power units comprises a manually operable switch adapted to be momentarily closed by a golfer, a control circuit for each of said power units energized upon closing of said manually operable switch, means in each of said control circuits operable upon the momentary closing of said manually operable switch for maintaining said circuit energized for a preselected time period, including an RC network in each said circuit having a different time constant than the RC network in any other of said circuits.

Claim 11

The device of claim 6 further including means attaching said platform to said contour varying means, said attaching means comprising tensioned elements urging said rigid platform into contact with said contour varying means.