Patent US3992011A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3992011A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Heads down golf practice device
Assignee: Active Enterprises Inc
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Filing: 1975-10-30
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Granted: 1976-11-16
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Expires: 1995-10-30
Abstract
Abstract A Heads Down Golf Practice Device having a resilient tubular golf tee member mounted in and protruding upwardly from a resilient, flat tee support structure base. The base includes a light emitting assembly having a light visible through the tee interior portion of the resilient tubular golf tee and mechanical indexing elements for randomly selecting a color of the visible light. The support structure is placed in front of a golfer on a relatively flat surface in a desired location, a golf ball is placed on the tubular tee thereby covering the light which is otherwise visible through the tee interior at the tee top, a color is randomly selected by the golfer and the golfer swings his golf club striking the ball setting it in flight and observes the light color after the ball is struck and the club passes over the tee, if the golfer's shoulders, head and eyes are positioned correctly the instant the golf club strikes the ball and passes over the tee.
Inventors
- 👤 Karl E. Jessee
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 10:40
CPC Classifications
A; A63; A63B; A63B69/00; A63B69/36; A63B69/3623; A63B69/3629
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
364 words
A golf practicing device comprising in combination: a. a base including an upper surface and a lower surface and a peripheral edge; b. a resilient tee member having a lower end fixedly attached to said base, an opaque wall extending upwardly from said lower end to a top end for teeing a golf ball thereon, said opaque wall defining therewithin a light transmitting interior having a light exit at the top thereof and a light entrance at the lower end thereof; c. a light emitting assembly mounted on said base comprising a light bulb mounted in said base in alignment with said light entrance for emitting light upwardly through the interior of said tee and out through said light exit, an electrical energy source means, and electrical wiring means electrically interconnecting said energy source means and said light bulb to cause the latter to emit light to the interior of said tee, which light is visible to a golfer when a ball is not present on said tee member, d. a carriage mounted in said base, said carriage being formed with apertures aligned with said light bulb, and e. a wheel rotatably mounted in said carriage, a peripheral portion of said wheel being exposed exteriorly of said base for rotation by the golfer, said wheel being provided with a plurality of transparent lenses of varying colors spaced circumferentially around said wheel and adapted to be rotated in sequence to align said lenses with said apertures in said carriage whereby the light from said light bulb is transmitted upwardly through the selected lens to said tee interior for visual detection by the golfer when a golf ball is not positioned on said tee, and mean operatively interconnected between said carriage and said wheel for permitting rotative indexing of said wheel relative to said carriage and retention of said wheel in such indexed position, whereby a golfer can first position a ball on said tee, thereafter index said wheel to present a lens of unknown color to a position above said bulb, briefly glimpse the colored light as the ball is struck from the tee, and re-observe such colored light at the completion of his swing.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
364 words
A golf practicing device comprising in combination: a. a base including an upper surface and a lower surface and a peripheral edge; b. a resilient tee member having a lower end fixedly attached to said base, an opaque wall extending upwardly from said lower end to a top end for teeing a golf ball thereon, said opaque wall defining therewithin a light transmitting interior having a light exit at the top thereof and a light entrance at the lower end thereof; c. a light emitting assembly mounted on said base comprising a light bulb mounted in said base in alignment with said light entrance for emitting light upwardly through the interior of said tee and out through said light exit, an electrical energy source means, and electrical wiring means electrically interconnecting said energy source means and said light bulb to cause the latter to emit light to the interior of said tee, which light is visible to a golfer when a ball is not present on said tee member, d. a carriage mounted in said base, said carriage being formed with apertures aligned with said light bulb, and e. a wheel rotatably mounted in said carriage, a peripheral portion of said wheel being exposed exteriorly of said base for rotation by the golfer, said wheel being provided with a plurality of transparent lenses of varying colors spaced circumferentially around said wheel and adapted to be rotated in sequence to align said lenses with said apertures in said carriage whereby the light from said light bulb is transmitted upwardly through the selected lens to said tee interior for visual detection by the golfer when a golf ball is not positioned on said tee, and mean operatively interconnected between said carriage and said wheel for permitting rotative indexing of said wheel relative to said carriage and retention of said wheel in such indexed position, whereby a golfer can first position a ball on said tee, thereafter index said wheel to present a lens of unknown color to a position above said bulb, briefly glimpse the colored light as the ball is struck from the tee, and re-observe such colored light at the completion of his swing.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
114 words
The combination of claim 1 wherein the base has therein a. first recess defined by a peripheral wall in which is mounted a light bulb connecting means, said light bulb being connected to said light bulb connecting means; b. a battery insertion recess in said base having a battery terminal connecting means therein, battery means removably inserted in said battery recess and connected to said battery terminal connecting means and c. an on-off light switch exposed at the exterior of said base, said switch, battery connecting means and light bulb connecting means being interconnected with a plurality of electrically conductive wires adapted to conduct electrical energy from said battery means to the light bulb.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
165 words
The combination of claim 1 wherein the base is formed with a. a first recess for said light assembly, said recess opening out of the base lower surface and extending upwardly therefrom and inwardly from the outer edge of the base to a first recess inner wall, said first recess being in light transparent communication with said tee light entrance and receiving said light emitting assembly whereby said light bulb can be aligned with said light entrance; b. a battery holding second recess extending upwardly from the base lower surface and opening thereoutof, said second recess having a battery terminal connecting means therein for connecting a battery thereto upon inserting a battery means into said second recess, an on-off light switch in the base and exposed exteriorly thereof, and d. a plurality of wires enclosed within the base and interconnecting the light switch, the battery terminal connecting means, and said light bulb for controllably conducting electrical energy from the battery means to said light bulb.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
73 words
The combintion of claim 1 wherein said carriage comprises a top plate and a bottom plate defining therebetween a color wheel mounting recess, light transmission holes through the top and bottom plates, opposed edges of said carriage being slidably and removably inserted into guide slots formed in said base, said transparent colored lenses being mounted circularly around a wheel inner portion and being in concentric arrangement with the outer circumference of said wheel.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
115 words
The combination of claim 4 wherein said wheel has a scalloped outer periphery, one scallop for each of the plurality of colored lenses mounted in said wheel; a scallop positioning indexing spring means, said spring means having fixedly and movably connected thereto at one end thereof a circular ring member, said ring member having a diameter such that the ring meshes with a wheel scallop when the wheel is positioned in a selected indexed position wherein a color lens is in alignment with the carriage apertures and the tee light entrance, said spring means being fixedly connected at its other end to the carriage thereby to force the circular ring member resiliently against said wheel.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
37 words
The combination set forth in claim 4 wherein said top and bottom plates and said wheel are formed with aligned pin openings, and pin means extending through said openings for rotatably mounting said wheel between said plates.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
65 words
The combination of claim 4 wherein said light bulb is enclosed in a module means, said module means being removably attached to the lower surface of said lower plate, said light bulb being in alignment with the light transmission hole in said lower plate, said module means having plug-in means for insertion thereof into an electrical energy source receptacle in the wall of said base.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
219 words
The combination set forth in claim 4 wherein said light bulb is enclosed in a member comprising a relatively thin cube of an electrically non-conductive material adapted to be detachably mounted to said lower plate, said member having a central light bulb insertion hole extending into but not through said cube and having a plurality of wire connecting holes, one on each side of said central hole, said wire connecting holes extending into but not through said cube, said cube further having a plurality of bolt holes extending through said cube, said light bulb having insulated wires extending therefrom and electrically conductively connected to wires of an electrical energy source; the wires of said energy source and said light bulb having insulation removed from the ends thereof, which ends are twistably connected together and inserted into the wire connecting holes, one twisted pair for each of said wire connecting holes, wire holding wedge members inserted into said holes for assuring electrical conductivity of said twisted wire ends and mechanically holding said twisted wire ends in said wire connecting holes, said cube thereafter being attached to said lower plate thereby aligning the light transmission hole in the cube with the light transmission hole in the lower plate, the lens in said carrying wheel and the upper plate light transmission hole.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
282 words
A golf practicing device comprising in combination: a. a base including an upper surface and a lower surface and a peripheral edge; b. a resilient tee member having a lower end fixedly attached to said base, an opaque wall extending upwardly from said lower end to a top end disposed above the base for teeing a golf ball thereon, said opaque wall defining therewithin a light transmitting interior having a light exit at the top thereof and a light entrance at the lower end thereof; c. a light bulb mounted in said base in alignment with said light entrance for emitting light upwardly through the interior of said tee and out through said light exit, an electrical energy source means, and electrical wiring means for conducting electrical energy from said energy source means to said light bulb to cause the latter to emit light to the interior of said tee, which light is visible to the golfer when a ball is not present on said tee member, d. a wheel having a plurality of transparent lenses of varying colors concentrically spaced around said wheel, e. means for mounting said wheel for rotation in said base whereby said wheel can be rotatably indexed to sequentially align each lens with said light bulb and the interior of said tee, and f. means for releasably retaining said wheel in each indexed position, whereby a golfer can first position a ball on said tee, thereafter index said wheel to present a lens of unknown color to a position above said light bulb, briefly glimpse the colored light as the ball is struck from the tee, and re-observe such colored light at the completion of his swing.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
282 words
A golf practicing device comprising in combination: a. a base including an upper surface and a lower surface and a peripheral edge; b. a resilient tee member having a lower end fixedly attached to said base, an opaque wall extending upwardly from said lower end to a top end disposed above the base for teeing a golf ball thereon, said opaque wall defining therewithin a light transmitting interior having a light exit at the top thereof and a light entrance at the lower end thereof; c. a light bulb mounted in said base in alignment with said light entrance for emitting light upwardly through the interior of said tee and out through said light exit, an electrical energy source means, and electrical wiring means for conducting electrical energy from said energy source means to said light bulb to cause the latter to emit light to the interior of said tee, which light is visible to the golfer when a ball is not present on said tee member, d. a wheel having a plurality of transparent lenses of varying colors concentrically spaced around said wheel, e. means for mounting said wheel for rotation in said base whereby said wheel can be rotatably indexed to sequentially align each lens with said light bulb and the interior of said tee, and f. means for releasably retaining said wheel in each indexed position, whereby a golfer can first position a ball on said tee, thereafter index said wheel to present a lens of unknown color to a position above said light bulb, briefly glimpse the colored light as the ball is struck from the tee, and re-observe such colored light at the completion of his swing.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
88 words
The combination of claim 9 wherein said means for mounting said wheel in said base comprises a carriage having a top and bottom plate mounted in guide slots in said base, pin means for rotatably mounting said wheel between said top and bottom plates for rotation relative thereto, said plates being formed with apertures aligned with said light bulb and said light entrance, whereby each lens in said wheel can be sequentially indexed into alignment with said aperture and said light bulb and releasably retained in such position.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1979-11-16 | 1980-05-17 | 1980-11-16 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1983-11-16 | 1984-05-17 | 1984-11-16 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1987-11-16 | 1988-05-17 | 1988-11-16 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |