Golf cart mileage and yardage indicating device

Claim 1

A mileage and yardage indicating device intended for use on a powered golf cart having wheels in supporting ground engagement, the device comprising; a drive roll unit adapted to be mounted to said cart, said drive unit including a roller in contact with any one of said supporting wheels of said cart; a measuring device adapted to be mounted on said cart in a position providing ease of visibility and viewability to a driver of said cart, said measuring device including a resettable yardage indicating mechanism and a non-resettable total mileage indicator mechanism, and flexible means interconnecting said drive roll unit to said measuring device for operating the same, said drive roll unit comprises; a bracket adapted to be connected to a body portion of said golf cart adjacent to one of said supporting wheels thereof; an arm member adapted to be pivotally connected to said bracket; a shaft rotatably supported at a projecting free end of said arm member and extending outwardly therefrom in a direction parallel to the axle of said supporting wheel; a roller manufactured of resilient material disposed concentrically with said shaft and affixed thereto for rotation therewith, a portion of the circumference of said roller dispOsed in a driven engagement with a portion of said wheel such that rotation of said wheel will effect the simultaneous rotation of said roller and said shaft affixed thereto; spring means resiliently biasing said roller into contact with said wheel; and means associated with one end of said shaft adapted to detachably affix thereto one end of said flexible means for transmitting rotation of said roll unit to said measuring device; said measuring device comprises; a hollow closed housing having an open front end; a dial face affixed to said housing in a position closing said open front end thereof; yardage indicating indicia extending about the peripheral edge of said dial face and having a zero position; a pointer shaft extending normal to said dial face and having one end projecting outwardly of said dial face and an opposite end disposed inwardly of said housing, said shaft mounted for rotation relative to said housing, a longitudinally disposed slot extending partially into said inner end of said shaft; a gear wheel affixed to said shaft slightly inwardly of said face end thereof and disposed inwardly of said dial face, said gear adapted to drive said shaft in one direction while permitting free movement of said shaft in the opposite direction; a ratchet gear disposed concentrically with said pointer shaft centrally thereof and extending radically therefrom for rotation therewith; a concentrically coiled spring having one end affixed in said slotted end of said pointer shaft and having an opposite end affixed to said housing, said spring being tensioned upon rotation of said pointer shaft in a first direction by said sprocket gear with said spring force urging said shaft in said opposite direction; a ratchet lever associated with said ratched gear and having one end in movable contact with said ratchet gear and having its opposite end projecting exteriorly of said housing, said ratchet lever preventing rotation of said pointer shaft in said opposite direction when in engagement with said ratchet gear and permitting said spring to rotate said pointer shaft in said opposite direction when out of engagement with said ratchet gear so as to return said pointer to said position zero; a pointer having one end adapted to be affixed to said front end of said pointer shaft and having an opposite end adapted to point to respective yardage indicia on said dial face as said pointer rotates thereabout; and a sprocket gear disposed concentrically with said opposite end of said flexible drive shaft and in meshed engagement with said first mentioned sprocket gear to drivingly rotate the same in said one direction upon movement of said golf cart.