Golf bag having base made of composite sheet material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12083398-B2
Application number	US-202117489862-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2021
Priority date	Oct 6, 2020
Publication date	Sep 10, 2024
Grant date	Sep 10, 2024

Abstract

A golf bag having an improved base is provided. The golf bag is durable, lightweight, comfortable to carry, and easy to use. The base is made of a composite sheet material, preferably a self-reinforced polymer composite sheet material that has been thermoformed. Materials made of thermoplastic polymers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyoxymethylene, and polyester can be processed under precise temperature and pressure conditions to form the self-reinforced polymer composite sheet material.

First claim

We claim:

1. A golf bag, comprising:
an elongated tubular body for storing golf clubs, the tubular body having a top opening and a closed bottom base, the base having (i) a front base section comprising a front bottom surface and a front sidewall being formed of a plurality of composite sheets and (ii) a rear base section comprising a rear bottom surface and a rear sidewall being formed of a plurality of composite sheets, the rear base section being pivotally connected to the front base section to form a hinged connection for moving the golf bag between an upright position and a tilted position, wherein the rear base section includes an angled tab that extends across the hinged connection when the bag is in the upright position, wherein the angled tab extends along an inner surface portion of the front sidewall, and wherein the inner surface portion of the front sidewall surrounds an outer surface portion of the angled tab, wherein the angled tab is configured to move downwardly towards the front bottom surface and wherein the rear bottom surface is configured to pivot upwardly relative to the front bottom surface as the golf bag moves to the tilted position, wherein the angled tab is configured to contact the front bottom surface of the front base section to stop the rear base section from pivoting beyond a predetermined angle ranging from about 20 degrees to about 60 degrees relative to the front bottom surface, wherein the angled tab comprises an upper edge, a lower edge opposite the upper edge, and a side edge extending between the upper edge and the lower edge, wherein the lower edge is configured to extend across and over the front bottom surface of the front base section when the bag is in the upright position, and wherein an entirety of the lower edge is parallel to the front bottom surface of the front base section when the bag is in the tilted position;
a first leg and a second leg pivotally attached to the tubular body;
a first actuator rod having a proximal end that is coupled to an upper region of the first leg and a distal end that is coupled to the front base section; and
a second actuator rod having a proximal end that is coupled to an upper region of the second leg and a distal end that is coupled to the front base section so that as the rear base section pivots relative to the front base section, the first and second actuator rods move the first leg and the second leg outwardly and into an extended position to support the bag.

2. The golf bag of claim 1 , wherein the composite sheets forming the front and rear base sections comprise a self-reinforced polymer composite sheet material comprising a polypropylene homopolymer, copolymer, or terpolymer.

3. The golf bag of claim 1 , wherein the angled tab is configured to extend past both sides of the hinged connection when the bag is in the upright position.

4. The golf bag of claim 1 , wherein the hinged connection is positioned closer towards a rear end of the rear base section than a front end of the front base section.

5. The golf bag of claim 1 , wherein the front base section includes a first end wall extending along a front end of the front base section, wherein the rear base section includes a second end wall extending along a rear end of the rear base section, wherein the first end wall and the second end wall each have a constant or uniform height.

6. The golf bag of claim 1 , wherein the front base section includes an anti-rotation plate extending from the front bottom surface of the front base section and overlapping the rear bottom surface of the rear base section, wherein the anti-rotation plate is configured to catch and stop the rear base section from rotating beyond the predetermined angle.

7. The golf bag of claim 6 , wherein the lower edge of the angled tab is configured to extend across and over the front bottom surface of the front base section at a first angle when the bag is in the upright position, and wherein the anti-rotation plate is configured to overlap the rear bottom surface of the rear base section at a second angle corresponding to the first angle when the bag is in the upright position.

8. The golf bag of claim 6 , wherein the angled tab is configured to extend across the hinged connection in a first direction from the rear base section to the front base section, and wherein the anti-rotation plate is configured to extend across the hinged connection in a second direction from the front base section to the rear base section.

9. The golf bag of claim 6 , wherein the anti-rotation plate is decoupled from the rear bottom surface of the rear base section so that the plate functions independently of the hinged connection to prevent the rear base section from over-rotating.

10. The golf bag of claim 6 , wherein the anti-rotation plate is configured as a primary stopper for preventing the rear base section from over-rotating, and wherein the angled tab is configured to help stop the pivoting of the rear base section so that the rear base section does not pivot upwardly by an excessive amount.

11. A golf bag, comprising:
an elongated tubular body for storing golf clubs, the tubular body comprising a top opening and a closed bottom base, wherein the base comprises a self-reinforced polymer composite sheet material formed from at least three successive layers,
the base having (i) a front base section comprising a front bottom surface and a front sidewall and (ii) a rear base section comprising a rear bottom surface and a rear sidewall, the rear base section being pivotally connected to the front base section to form a hinged connection for moving the golf bag between an upright position and a tilted position,
wherein the rear base section includes an angled tab that extends across the hinged connection when the bag is in the upright position, wherein the angled tab extends along an inner surface portion of the front sidewall, and wherein the inner surface portion of the front sidewall surrounds an outer surface portion of the angled tab, wherein the angled tab is configured to move towards the front bottom surface and wherein the rear bottom surface is configured to pivot upwardly relative to the front bottom surface as the golf bag moves to the tilted position, wherein the angled tab is configured to contact the front bottom surface of the front base section to stop the rear base section from pivoting beyond a predetermined angle relative to the front bottom surface, wherein the angled tab comprises an upper edge, a lower edge opposite the upper edge, and a side edge extending between the upper edge and the lower edge, wherein the lower edge is configured to extend across and over the front bottom surface of the front base section when the bag is in the upright position, and wherein an entirety of the lower edge is parallel to the front bottom surface of the front base section when the bag is in the tilted position.

12. The golf bag of claim 11 , wherein a top layer and a bottom layer of the composite sheet material comprise a first polymer and an intermediate layer comprises a second polymer with a lower degree of molecular orientation and a lower melting temperature than the first polymer.

13. The golf bag of claim 12 , wherein the intermediate layer has a first thickness that is less than a second thickness of either the top layer or the bottom layer.

14. The golf bag of claim 12 , wherein the first and second polymers are selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyoxymethylene, polyester, and copolymers and blends thereof.

15. The golf bag of claim 12 , wherein the top layer and the bottom layer are non-woven webs

Assignees

• Acushnet Co

Inventors

• Burgess Ian
• Howard Stephanie L
• Beck Benjamin J
• Donovan Ryan

Classifications

• A63B2209/023

  Long, oriented fibres, e.g. wound filaments, woven fabrics, mats · CPC title

• A63B55/53

  with legs opening automatically upon putting the bag on the ground · CPC title

• A63B55/408 Primary

  Releasably mounted accessories fitted outside the bag, e.g. straps or holders (A63B55/20 and A63B55/50 take precedence) · CPC title