US2295599A - Automatic golf ball teeing device - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 15, 1942. L MozEL AUTOMATIC GOLF BALL TEEING DEVICE Filed Dec. 18. 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 l L |l m l l m n. @EN wwfwg: m ME Uu u wm :ummm E m\ I R\ R w n@ e hw u. 1 H U N5 E v @M .H1 w mi w. mmm m SVU R .w w s s a w 9, RVH "l E x 4 w H nu .u E |l|H ,I s

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AUTOMATIC GOLF BALL TEEING DEVICE Filed Dec. 18, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 w u. m/N/X//// //7 Ven/2f Patented Sept. l5, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUTOMATIC GOLF BALL TEEING DEVICE Joe Mozel, Portland, Oreg.

Application December 18, 1940, Serial No. 370,729

1i7 Claims.

This invention relates to a device for automatically teeing golf balls, and is particularly adapted to be used in the teaching and practicing of golf, either outdoors or indoors.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a device that will automatically tee a golf bail under any and all conditions encountered in the driving of the ball, such as a wet or defective ball. In the teaching and practice of golf, a player can make greater progress when his attention is not distracted between drives by having to tee the ball. In my automatic golf teeing device the ball is always in place on the tee after each drive, requiring no attention whatever by the player.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mechanism for teelng a golf ball that is automatic. When the ball is removed from the tee a cycle of operation is commenced, automatically bringing the next ball into place on the tee. The cycle of operation is started by the removal of the ball from the tee, the weight of the ball controlling the operation of the machine.

Another object of my invention is the provision of means within the teelng device for adjusting the height of the ball to meet the requirements of different types of clubs used by the player.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for automatically rendering the device inoperative when the supply of golf balls has been exhausted.

And another object of the invention is to provide a golf ball teelng device whose working mechanism will be at complete rest, except during the teelng operation.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a principle of operation that will protect the machine from damage by the players club head at all times.

Another object of the invention is to provide a driving mat for covering the machine that will approach the resiliency of an ordinary turf and that will reduce the shock of the club to a minimum while driving the ball from the tee.

These and other incidental objects will be apparent in the drawing, specification and claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of my new and improved automatic golf ball teelng device.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view, having the driving mat removed and parts broken away for convenience of illustration.

side elevation of the golf ball teelng mechanism, parts broken away for convenience of illustration, the tee in this ligure is shown in lowered position ready to raise the ball to driving position.

Figure 4 is a detailed enlarged perspective view of the tee assembly.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary plan sectional view, taken on line 5-5 of Figure 3 of the tee mechanism.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional detailed View of the ball stop mechanism, taken on line 6 6 of Figure 3.

Figure 7 is an end sectional view, taken on line '1 -'i of Figure l, looking in the direction indicated, illustrating the tee raising and lowering mechanism, consisting of the motor, gear reduction and one of the switch control mechanisms.

Figure 8 is a detailed sectional view of a preferred form of bearing support for mounting the operating cross shaft.

Figure 9 is a detailed sectional view of a friction control mechanism for governing adjustable height of the ball.

Figure 10 is a diagrammatical layout of the principles employed for controlling the operation of the teelng device, including the wiring circuit and illustrating the ball in driving position.

Figure 11 is the same as Figure 10, except that the ball has been removed from the tee and the machine has started a cycle of operation.

Figure 12 is a perspective view of the teelng device in connection with a hopper and dispensing machine for supplying the balls to the tee.

Referring to the drawings:

My new and improved automatic golfball teelng device is indicated in general by numeral I. The device consists of a suitable framework 2, supporting an upper frame 3, upon which is mounted the driving mat. Mounted within the frame is a vertical housing 4 within which operates the tee assembly mechanism 5. The housing 4 is held in position by the cross frame 4A, upon which rests the flange or bracket 4E, said flange forming part of the housing 4, suitable fastening means as bolts 4B hold the ange to the cross frame 4A. A stud bolt 4C extends from the lower end of the housing 4 into the cross frame 4D and is adjusted by suitable lock nuts.

The tee assembly is illustrated in Figure 1 in the raised position teelng the golf ball 8. An arm 1 is fixedly mounted to the cross shaft 8, the cross shaft 8 is journaled within the bearings 9, which are secured to the framework 2 by the cap Figure 3 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional 55 screw 9A, as illustrated in Figure 8. The teelng fastening means.

assembly is connected to the end II of the arm 1 through the bearing block I0 and the link I2, the assembly is held in raised position through the action of the arm 1, link I2 and by the tension spring I3, the upper end of the spring I3 is supported by a suitable bracket I4, which is secured to a cross member I5 of the framework of the device. The lower end of the tension spring I3 is connected to an adjustable screw-eye I6, which is adjustably mounted to the arm 1, providing for accurate adjustment-of spring I3.-

I will now describe in detail the tee assembly mechanism. A specially constructed body member I1 works vertically up and down within the housing 4, its position being "cbntrolled by the operation of the arm 1. This body portion is constructed rectangular in cross section, best i1- lustrated in Figure 5, so that only the corners I8 bear against the inner wall of the housing 4, preventing dirt or grit from binding or sticking the tee assembly mechanism within the housing 4 in its operation. It is very importan that no play develop within the housing 4 in relation to the tee assembly. In order to overcome any vibrations that might be developed between the housing and the tee assembly a spring I1A is xedly mounted to the lower part of the body member I1 at I1B, the upper end I1C riding against the inner wall of the housing 4 absorbing any vibrations developed by the tee assembly.

vA specially constructed flexible rubber tee I8 is mounted to the vertical shaft 20, by any suitable The shaft 20 works freely within the guide 2| and is retained within the guide by the set screw extending within the groove 23 of the shaft 28. An electrical switch assembly 24 is mounted within the body member I1 and is easily removed therefrom. A compression member 25 is slidably mounted within the lower end of the body member I1 and bears against the under surface of the switch 24, holding the same in place by the spring 28, said spring 26 is maintained in position by the holding screw 23, tapped within the lower end of the body member I1.

A metal boss 28 registers within the hole 29 of the guide 2| holding the switch plunger 30 in line with the tee shaft 20. The plunger 30 extends through the boss 28, and is connected to the switch operating mechanism 24, the plunger is held in raised position by a spring 55 within the switch assembly, best illustrated in the wiring diagram in Figure 10. The operation of the switch mechanism 24 is controlled by the weight of the ball, the weight of the ball forcing the tee and shaft 28 downward against the plunger 38, which in turn overcomes the spring 55 within the switch, opening the electric circuit to be delscribed more fully later.

As stated before the tee assembly is held in raised position by the spring I3 raising the end II of the operating arm 1, best illustrated in Figure 1. In order to lower the tee assembly mechanism the end 32 of the arm 1 is raised by the cam roller 33, which is journaled to a wheel 34, the wheel 34 is journaled to a suitable base 35 by the cross shaft 38, said shaft is driven by a speed reducing unit 31 and motor 38.'

Referring to Figure 1, the end 32 of the operatend of the rod has a right angle bar 43, providing a stop for the end 44 of the operating arm 1. The knob 45 determines the height of the stop 43, which in turn controls the downward travel of the end 44 ofthe arm 1, controlling the height of the ball to be teed. The friction stop 42 consists of a ball 42A, bearing against the vertical rod 4I, by an adjustable spring tension 42B, controlled by the adjusting screw 42C.

The golf balls 46 are fed into the device by a chute 41, from any desired direction. These balls are delivered from the chute 41 to the chute 48, the chute 48 is mounted to the cross shaft 48 on its one end, having its opposite end 50 resting upon the plunger 5I of an electrical switch 52. When' there are one or more golf balls resting on the chute 48, their weight will force the plunger 5I, of the switch 52, 4downward closing an electrical'circuit, which will be described later. In the event that there are no golf balls on this chute the plunger 5I will be allowed to rise, due to a spring 52A within the switch assembly 52, opening an electrical circuit. The spring mechanism within the switch assembly 52 may be assisted by an auxiliary spring 53 secured to the framework of the device and to the chute 48 at 54.

I will now describe a cycle of operation of my new and improved golf ball teelng device, and referring especially to Figure 10. When the ball 8 is removed from the tee I9, a spring 55 within the switch 24 raises the tee I8 and the vertical shaft 28, tilting the switch bar 58 sufficient to close the contact 58, completing an electrical circuit through the motor 38, from the supply line 51, conductor 58, switch bar 59, conductor 5I) through the switch 52 by way of the switch bar 66 and back to the supply line.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, when the above circuit is completed the motor 38 will rotate the wheel 34 in the direction of the arrow, bringing the cam roller 33 in contact with the end 32 of the operating arm 1, raising the end 32 of the arm and lowering the opposite end II, forcing the tee assembly to be lowered within the housing 4. When this happens the golf ball B2 will roll into the position illustrated in Figure 3, directly over the tee I 3 resting on the opening 62A. Before the tee I 9 starts upward again, due to the cam roller 33 passing over top center and allowing the arm 1 to raise the tee assembly by the spring I3,vv a second electric circuit will be completed to keep the motor 38 running, completing the cycle of operation. When the tee I8 commenced to raise the ball 62, the switch 24 opened the circuit described above,.but before this happened a second circuit had been completed in the following manner.

Referring to Figure 10, it will be noted that a switch 83 is operated by a. cam surface 64 formed on the outer periphery of the wheel 34. This switch is normally open while the device is at rest and the ball is in teed position, but after the switch 24 has caused the motor to drive the wheel 34 a sufficient distance the cam 64 will permit the switch bar 63B to close, by allowing its operating plunger 85 to drop off the end of the cam 64, as illustrated in Figure 11, closing the switch contacts 63A, the switch 63 will thus complete an electric circuit through the motor 38, conductor 63C, switch 83, conductor 63D, motor 38 and back to the supply conductor 51, before the switch 24 is opened by the raising of the tee I8 under the ball 82. The switch mechanism 63 will then complete the cycle of operation bringlng the wheel34 to the position shown in Figures 1- and 10, allowing the spring I3 to raise the tee assembly to the position illustrated in Figure 1. A master switch 62 is provided for stopping the operation of the entire device when the last*- switch bar 88 completing a circuit through the indicating signal light 69, which is usually 1 0- cated relative to the supply hopper, which indicates to the player that more balls will be required to continue playing.

.In' order to allow for smooth operation of` the tee within its vertical housing 4, and to prevent the supply of 'golf balls 46 from causing too much pressure against the tee, a stop 16 allows but one ball to enter the receiving chamber 83 at one time.; The stop is secured to the cross shaft 1| at 12. The cross shaft 1I is `iournaled within bearings 13 within the frame of the machine. A crank 14 is xedly mountedto the shaft 1I and is connected to a bell crank 15 through the connecting link 16, when the ball is in the position shown in Figure 1 the bell crank 15 holds the stop 19 out of engagement with the balls 48, through the action of the crank 11, which is iixedly mounted to the cross shaft 8 of the operating arm 1.

The bell crank 15 and the crank 11 are connected together by the link 18, the end 19 of the link operates within a slot 88. When the end Il of the arm 1 is in the raised position, the crank 11 is also in its highest position, forcing the link 18 upwardly rocking the bell crank 15 in a direction to pull the link 18 to the right, raising the stop 10. A very slight movement downward on the end of the operating arm II will permit the stop 10 to be lowered its full distance holding the golf balls 48 back until the ball 62 is teed. The spring 8| provides the power for holding the stop 10 against the balls 46. Further travel downward of the arm 1 will not aifect the bell crank 15, as it has been stopped by the stop 82, and the link 18 is allowed to work in the slot 80.

The driving mat 40 is constructed in the following manner: A resilient covering material 86 is secured to the plate 81, said plate 81 is of rigid construction, as for instance metal. The outer edge of the plate 81 rests upon the cushion material 88, preferably of sponge rubber, thecushion rests on the ledge 85 of the upper frame 9. A spacer 89 is provided underneath the plate 81, this spacer is made of deadeningmaterial and is for the purpose of centering the mat 40 within the cushion support 88. 'I'he cushion 88 absorbs the shocks transmitted to the driving mat 40 by the players club heads in driving the ball from the tee.

In reviewing the operation briey'of the device, when the ball was removed from the tee I9, the electric switch 24 was closed starting the motor driving mechanism, operating the arm 1 positively against the tension spring I3 lowering the switch 24 controlled by the'tee was opened by the weight of the ball 82, at the same time the. additional balls 48 were held in retarded position while the ball 82 was being teed.

I do not wishto be limited to this particular mechanical assembly, as other forms of mechanical embodiment may bevemployed, still coming within the scope of the claims to follow.

What is claimed as new is:

1. A golf ball teeing device including a frame seated in the recess in the playing area, a vertical housing secured in the frame, a golf ball supportl in the housing, a tee reclprocated vertically of the housing to engage and elevate the golf ball from the support in the upward movement of the tee and carried to a position above the playing area, the tee moving to 'a position below the support and free of the golf ball resting thereon at the downward -limit of the tee, a L

guide movable in the housing below the support, a shaft depending from the teeand movable in the guide, a rod connected to the guide for'reciprocating the guide and tee, a motor for moving the rod in one direction, a spring for moving the rod in the opposite direction, a switch carried by the guidea circuit controlled by the switch for energizing the motor, means for moving the tee upwardly for alimited distance when released of the Weightof the ball 'resting thereon, and means controlled by this limited upward movement of the tee for closing the switch.

2. A construction as defined in claim 1 including a second normally open motor circuit controlling switch, and means on the motor for' closing the second switch to maintain the motor circuit when the rst mentioned switch is opened in the downward movement of the tee.

3. A construction as defined in claim 1 including a controlling switch for the motorrcircuit normally closed by a ball in the chute in position to be delivered to the support, said switch automatically opening in the absence of such ball to'prevent operation of the device when no ball is in position to be delivered by the tee. J

4. A golf ball supporting tee comprising a frame seated in a recess in the playing area, a vertical housing carried by the frame, a golf tee capable of reciprocation in the housing, and

movable to an operative position to project a golf ball for driving, or to inoperative position within the housing, means in the housing for supporting a golf ball in line with the tee and above the upper end of the tee when the latter is in an inoperative position', an element for reciprocating the tee, electrically operated means for moving the element, a switch carrying member movable with the tee and including a switch for controlling the electrically operated means, said switch being operated by the tee under the weight of a golf ball thereon to close the circuit and opened inthe absence of the weight of the golf ball to break the circuit when the tee is in inoperative position, and a switch for interrupting the circuit in the absence of a golf ball in the housing in line with the tee.

5. A construction as dened in claim 1 wherein the housing is of cylindrical form and wherein the guide is of rectangular form having a diameter dimension corresponding to the diameter of the housing whereby the guide has corner bearing only on the housing.

6. A construction as dened in claim 1 wherein the housing is of cylindrical form and wherein the guide is of rectangular form having a diameter dimenision corresponding to the diameter of the housing whereby the guide has corner bearing only on the housing. and a spring carried by the guide to engage the housing to prevent undue wear and play of the guide in the housing.

7. A golf-ball teeing device including a frame, a vertical housing in the frame, a golf ball tee movable in the housing, a motor for operating the tee, a chute for delivering golf balls to the tee. said chute including a movable section responsiveto the weight of a golf ball, a normally-open circuit for controlling the motor, a

switch for closing the circuit responsive to a predetermined limited movement of the tee, and a switch for controlling the circuit and operated by the movement oi' the movable section o! the.

chute, said latter switch `being openedV in the absence of a ball in the movable chute section and preventing any circuit control by the ilrst mentioned switch. I

8. A construction as deiined in claim "I, inl,

the motor. 10. A construction as dened in claim 9,

delivering to the tee, and the third controlled by wherein the opening A0i the second switch prevents any circuit*4 control by eitherthe nrst or third switch.

11. A construction as defined in vclaim 9, wherein the third switch is eectiye to control the motor circuit only following operation of the first switch.

12. A golf ball teeing device, comprising a frame seated in a recess in a playing area, a vertical housing carried by said frame below the playing area, a rubber tee movable vertically in the housing, means for reciprocating the tee longitudinally of the housing to a position to support the goli' ball in driving position above the playing area. means ilxed to the housing to support and center the golf ball above the lowermost position ofand in line with the tee, a ball magazine `and an independent -element for insuring delivery of the golf balls singly from the magazine to the supporting means. and means for reciprocating the golf tee to Acorrespondingly govern the ball delivery element.

13. A construction as defined in claim 12, in-

l cluding a motor and'motor'circuit for actuating, the golf teeingreciprocating means, a switch in said circuit carried by the housing-carried means for supporting the golf ball, said switch being controlled by an independent element for delivering golf balls from the magazine.

14. A construction as dened iniclaim 12, wherein the independent element for the delivery ofthe golf balls singly from the magazine includes a pivotally'supported chute having a delivery end terminating above the housing-carried ball -supporting means and free of the ball in themovement of the latter on the tee.v i

`JOE MOZEL.

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