US2482294A - Golf ball retriever - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 20, 1949. w. c. SANDOR GOLF BALL RETRIEVER Filed Dec. 2, 1946 INVENTOR. WILL/HM asauna Patented Sept. 20, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GOLF BALL RETRIEVER William C. Sandor, Parma, Ohio Application December 2, 1946, Serial No. 713,423

5 Claims. (01. 294-19) This invention relates to golf ball retrievers for retrieving golf balls from water hazards and other inaccessible places.

The general object of this invention is the provision of an improved golf ball retriever of steel wire which is formed with a yieldingly expansible grapple member constructed to yieldingly grip and support a golf ball when dropped in an inaccessible place such as a water hazard or other remote and congested places.

This general object of the invention is attained by the provision of a steel wire golf ball retriever having as grapple member an open, yieldingly expansible loop, the diameter of which is slightly less than the diameter of a golf ball, the expansible loop permitting yieldingly gripping a golf ball encircled by the loop.

Another object of the invention therefore is the provision of an improved steel wire golf ball retriever which is for-med with an expansible,

.open wire loop having a diameter slightly less than the diameter of a golf ball.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a steel wire golf ball retriever with an expansible, open wire loop having a diameter slightly less than the diameter of a golf ball and guiding and stopping means integrally extended from the free end of the wire loop to prevent a golf ball from fully passing through the open wire loop and support such golf ball in the loop during retrieving operations.

Additional objects and features of invention, combinations and relations of parts, by which the objects in view have been attained, will appear and are set forth in detail in the course of the following specification.

The drawing accompanying and forming part of the specification illustrates certain practical embodiments of the invention, but it will be apparent as the specification proceeds that the structure may be modified and changed in various ways without departure from the true spirit and broad scope of the invention.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a steel wire golf ball retriever constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side-view of the steel wire golf ball retriever shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side-view showing the steel wire golf ball retriever disclosed in Figs. 1 and 2 in position to grip a golf ball; and

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the said golf ball retriever when gripping a golf ball, the retriever being in upside-down position and supporting the gripped golf ball by guiding and stopping means associated with the loop of the retriever.

Referring now more particularly to the structure shown in the drawing, reference numeral 2 denotes a steel wire golf ball retriever embodying an open, looped grapple member 3 and an extensible handle member 4 integrally extended from member 3. The grapple member consists of an open wire loop 5 forming approximately threefourths of a circle having a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of a golf ball. This loop has integrally extended from its one end handle member 4 and from its other end a guiding and supporting member 6 including a lower guiding portion 1 angularly related to a plane through open loop 5 and an upper supporting portion 8 angularly and laterally extended from the end of portion 1 to engage and support a golf ball when forced into and partly through wire loop 5.

Handle member 4 embodies a stationary wire member 9 integrally extended from one end of wire loop 5 and a shiftable wire member In slidably coupled with stationary wire member 9 by clips I I and I2. These clips encircle the two wire members and each of these clips is rigidly coupled with one of said wire members; thus, clip I! is coupled with stationary wire member 9 by extend ing a bent end portion M on member 9 through a hole I5 in the wall of clip H, and clip I2 is coupled with shiftable wire member ID by extending an angularly offset end portion I6 on member in through a hole I! in the wall of clip 12. This arrangement permits substantial elongation of member 4 and increases the reach of the golf ball retriever.

A handle It at the outer end of shiftable wire member Ill permits proper handling of the retriever. This handle is formed by bending the end of wire member Ill back upon itself to form parallelly arranged, spaced wire portions 2|, 22 connected at one end by a curved wire portion 23 and spaced at its other end by an angular offset locking portion 24. This offset portion cooperates with clip H to prevent unintended elongation of the retriever handle member 4 when in its unextended position, as will readily be understood from inspection of the drawing. A locking action of offset portion 24 is readily overcome by slight outward pulling of wire portion 2| to permit passing of clip ll under locking portion 24.

In operation, the open loop grapple member 3 is brought to a position above the top of the golf ball to be retrieved and pressed downwardly upon such ball until open loop 5 of the grapple member is forced to expand and slide over the largest diameter of the golf ball to properly hold same in the grapple memberQopen loop 5, after expansion when forced over the ball, automatically retracts to original size and prevents escape of the ball from the grapple member. In this operation, guiding and supporting member 1 prevents the golf ball from fully passing through the grapple member. Retrieving of a golf ball is greatly facilitated when grapple member 3 is rotated to ups d -down position to seat andrest the olf ball on guiding and supporting member 6.

Having thus described my invention what'I claim is: V

1. A'golf ball retriever embodying, a straight steel wire structure, formed at its one end with an one end to form a handle, and clip members attached torthe respective steel wires and coupled with the other respective steel wires to slidably couple the wires at spaced points with each other and provide said golf ball retriever'with an extensible handle member. 7

5. A golf ball retriever embodying a straight steel wire bent at one end to form an open yieldingly expansible loop with a diameter slightly less than the diameter o a g lf all, and n upw r extension dimensioned and bent to form a stopping means for a golf ball extended more than half through said open loop, a second straight steel wire bent at one end to form an elongated open-loop, yielding grapple member arranged in a pl hrough the axis of said straight steel wire structure and having a'diameter slightly less 7 than the diameter of a golf ball, and stopping means at the end of the open-loop grapple memher x ended in sub tantial vertical rela ion from the end or said grapple member andbent o prevent passing of a salt ball thr ugh said grapp member when the olf ball is more than half extended through said yie ding g apple member.

2. A golf ball retriever embodying a. straight steel wire bent at one'end to -form an Open, yieldely expansible loop with a diameter s i y less than the diame er of. a golf ball and an upward extension dimensioned and bent to ,form a stoppin means for a 05 ball extended m e than half through said pen 1 9?,

3- A olf ball retriever as described in claim 2, in luding a second straight steel wire bent at oneend to form a handl the straight wire p rtions of said steel wirw being .slidably coupled a paced points 1 0 provide saidgolf ball retriever With an extensible, handle member Ior its open loop. e p

4. A golf ball retriever as dessribed :in claim including a second straight steel wire bent at .Number Name Date 7 1,658,145 Uyei nuns",- .=.s Feb. '7, 1928 1, 22,519 Du Cherie H- is July 13.0, L929 3 ,135,232 Dawn q, Nov. :1, 1938 2, 04,5 2 Eilip ak; was .1 June 11, 951.0 2,205,345 Christensen was; mine 18,."19a0 FOREIi GN PATENTS; v

470 Number 7 Country Date vanezrz loop-shaped handle, and clip members attached to the respective straight steel wires and coupled with the other respective steel wires to; slidably' couple the wires at spaced points with each other and provide the golf ball retriever with an extensible handle member, and releasable locking means on said elongated, loop shaped handle co- -operating with one of said clip members in Preventing shifting of said straight wires when the handle member is in unextendedposition.

' V c. SANDOR; REFERENCES s ren The followingreferences are of record in the file of this patent:

' UNITED STATES 'PAFi'ENTS Germany May 15, 1,9297

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