Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
13~915
.
GOLF TROLLEY
This invention relates to golf trolleys.
Gol f trolleys are used by many golfers to transport ~ the golf bag
5 containing their golf clubs around the golf course, instead of carrying the
bag on their shoulder. The majority of golf trolleys in use today are of a
common design comprising a wheeled chassis having two wheeled struts
splayed on either side from an elongate chassis member to which the bag is
secured, the two wheel struts carrying ground engaging wheels at thei}
10 distal ends. The two wheels and one end of the elongate chassis member
form a triangular base upon which the trolley stands to support the bag in an
inclined position as the golfer plays his shot. At the opposite end the
elongate chassis member is provided with an elongated handle extending
substantially coaxially from the chassis member, and by means of which the
15 trolley can be wheeled or pulled behind the player as he goes around the
course. Often, but not always, the trolley is collapsible or foldable for ease
of transportation, for example in the boot or trunk of a car.
Existing golf trolleys tend to be fairly heavy constructions, which are
often aesthetically unpleasing, often of tubular iron or steel members prone
20 to rust and corrosion, and comprising welded joints or brackets, which are
liable to fracture.
By contrast the present invention seeks to provide a lightweight,
collapsible golf trolley which is of aesthetically pleasing design, easy ~ and
inexpensive to manufacture and free of welded joints and othe~ weRknesses
25 and trouble spots.
This is achieved essentially by forming the elongate main chassis
member of the trolley of extruded ligKtweight alloy, e.g. aluminium, and
pivoting the wheel struts, which are preferably also of extruded lightweight
alloy, directly to the chassis. For this purpose the chassis has an extrudable
30 inverted channel shaped section (inverted, that is, in relation to the groundwhen the trolley is in use), that channel shaped extrudable section moreover
having two downwardly and outwardly flared wall sections symmetrically
disposed on opposite sides of the median plane of the extruded chassis
member, those two outwardly flared wall sections bein9 set at a predeter-
35 mined angle corresponding to the angle adopted by the wheel struts in theirsplayed positiont the wheel struts being pivoted to the underside of the
` .`
q l 5
extruded chassis member against said outwardly flared wall sections.
At its opposite ends, the elongated, extruded chassis member is
provided with upstanding means for receiving anà retaining the golf bag in a
reclining position on and parallel to the chassis member. Preferably such
5 bag receiving means are in the form of moulded plastics end caps on the
ends of the elongate chassis member each shaped to receive the ~olf bag and
preferably provided with means, e.g. slots, for receiving a strap, or other
fastening means by which the bag can be fastened securely to the trolley.
In customary manner, the trolley is provioed with an elongate handle
10 pivotally connected to one end of the elongate chassis member, and pivot-
able with respect thereto from a first, extended position in which the handle
extends substantially coaxially from the chassis member to permit the
trolley to be pulled or wheeled by the user, to a second, collapsed position in
which the handle is folded back and lies essentially alongside the chassis
15 member and substantially p3rallel thereto. Tie means are provided opera-
tively connected between the handle and the wheel struts so that as the
handle pivots into its second, or ~olded position, the wheel struts pivot from
their splayed position into a folded position in which they lie approximately
parallel to the chassis member with the wheels, which are mounted at the
20 distal ends of the wheel struts, Iying close to the end of the chassis memberremote from the handle and on opposite sides thereof. For further ease of
transport of the trolley when in the collapsed or folded positionl the wheels
can be made disconnectable from the wheel struts.
~Ithough not essential to the concept of this invention, means will
25 usually be provided for locking the handle relative to the chassis in its
extended position, and possibly also in the collapsed or folded position to
prevent the trolley from unfolding when being carried in the folded
condition. Also the angle of the handle, when in its extended position, may
be adjustable relative to the chassis member so that it can be adjusted to
30 the height of the user. For similar reasonsj the handle may be telescopic.
A further significant feature which contributes substantially to the
aesthetic appearance and improved construction of the trolley, at least in
its preferred form, is the construction of the wheel struts. Preferably these
each comprise two parallel links running the length of the wheel strut and
35 pivoted at one end to the underside of the elongate chassis member, and at
the other end to a wheel bracket, thus forming a parallel linkage. Even
1 3 1 49 1 5
more preferably the two parallel links of each strut are of extruded,
preferably identical, open channel shaped sections, the free edges of the two
opposite sidewalls of each channel shaped link slidably mating one with the
other, so that externally each strut visually has the appearance of a single,
5 solid member.
To s~narize, in its principal aspect, the present invention resides in
a collapsible golf trolley comprising an elongate extruded chassis member of
lightweight alloy forming the principal structural element of the trolley, and
comprising an inverted channel shaped extrusion whose sidewalls diverge
10 outwardly and downwardly symmetrically on opposite sides of a median
plane at a predetermined angle thereto, a pair of lightweight alloy wheel
struts pivotally connected at one end to the underside of said elongate
extruded chassis member intermediate the ends thereof and normally Iying
at an angle to each other on opposite sides of said median plane and as
15 determined by the angle of said downwardly divergent sidewal1s, said ~
struts each carrying at their distal ends on npposite sides of the trolley a
ground engaging wheel, upwardly extending means at each end of the
elongate extruded chassis member for receiving and retaining thereon a golf
bag containing a plurality of golf clubs, an elongate handle pivotally
20 connected to said elongate extruded chassis member at one end and
pivotable between a first, extended position in which the elongate handle
extends from the elongate extruded chassis member in a direction generally
coaxial therewith and a second, collapsed position in which the elongate
handle substantially lies alongside the elongate extruded chassis member,
25 and tie means operatively connected between said handle and said wheel
struts, whereby, when the ha~dle is in its first, extended position the wheel
struts are splayed outwardly on opposite sides of the trolley at said
predetermined angle, and, when the handle is in its second, collapsed
position, the wheel struts pivot inwardly towards the elongate extruded
30 chassis member so as to lie, in the collapsed condition of the trolley,
substantially alongside the elongate extruded chassis member with the
wheels closely adjacent thereto on opposite sides.
Preferably each wheel strut comprises two parallel members, each
pivotally connected at one end to the underside of said elongate extruded
35 chassis member and at the other end to a wheel bracket mounting said wheel
and forming therewith a parallel linkage constrained to move between said
1314915
splayed and collapsed positions, each in an oppositely inclined plane defined
by the angles of said downwardly divergent side walls.
Even more preferably each of said two parallel rnembers of each
wheel strut are yenerally channel shaped in cross-section, and the free edges
of the opposite sidewalls defining each channel slidably mate one within the
other.
A preferred construction of golf trolley according to this invention is
illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a side view of the trolley with the handle in its extended
10 position, and showing the collapsed or folded position in phantom;
Figure 2 is an end on view of the trolley taken in the direction of the
arrow A in Figure 1, and again showing the collapsed position of the wheels
in phantom. The position of the handle and wheel struts in the collapsed or
folded position are omitted for the sake of clarity;
Figure 3 is a section taken on the line III-III of Figure 1, but showing
only one wheel strut in full, and with the wheel removed;
Figure 4 is a detailed side view of the chassis and wheel strut
assembly and showing the bag receiving end caps on the chassis in part
section;
Figure 5 is a section through the wheel strut taken on line V-V of
Figure 4;
Figure 6 is a plan view, part broken away, of the mounting bracket
for the handle;
Figure 7 is a side view of the mounting bracket for the handle, with
25 one side cover removed to show the internal construction;
Fi~ure B is a section taken along line VIII-VIII of Figure 6; and
Figure 9 shows an alternative cross-section for the maln chassis
member.
Referring to the drawings, the trolley comprises an extruded, elon-
30 gate chassis member 1 of lightweight alloy, e.g. extruded aluminium? having
the extrudable cross-section shown in Figure 3. An alternative extrudable
cross-section is shown in Figure 9. As will be seen, the chassis member 1
has an inverted channel shaped section def ined on opposite sides of the
median plane by two symmetrical downwardly and outwardly flared wall
35 sections 2,3. These two wall sections are at a predetermined angie to each
other corresponding to the angle between the wheel struts 4, 5 at least wher-
a
1 3 1 49 1 5 `
splayed on either side of the chassis, see Figure 2.
The two wheel struts, shown in more detail in Figures 4 and 5, each
comprise two lightweight alloy, e.g. aluminium or aluminium alloy extru-
sions 6, 7 which are of identical channel or U-shaped extrudable cross-
section, see Figure 5. On one side of each extrusion, the distal or upper
edge of each channel shaped extrusion 6, 7 is offset inwardly towards the
median plane of the extrusion as at 6a and 7a, so that the two channel
shaped extrusions 6, 7 slidably mate one with the other. The two struts thus
have the external appearance of a single, solid strut, Figures 1 and 4. ~ -
However, the two extrusions 6, 7 of each wheel strut 4, 5, in fact,
form two paral~el links in a parallel linkage constituted by those two
extrusions, and by the extruded chassis member 1 at one end to which those
extrusions are pivotally connected by means of the pivot pins 8, 9, lû, 11
(Figure 3) and by the wheel brackets 12, 13 to which those extrusions are
pivotally connected by the pins 14, 15. Each wheel strut 4, 5 is thus
constructed of a parallel linkage the members o~ which are constrained to
pivot in a plane inclined to one side or other of the median plane of the
trolley, the inclination of that plane being determined by the angle of the
extruded inclined side wall sections 2, 3 of the extruded chassis member 1.
The wheel mounting brackets 129 13 are each plastics mouldings
pivotally connected to the distal ends of each wheel strut 4, 5 by the pins
14, 15, as indicated, and each carry an ou~ardly projectin~ ~tu~ ae 16, 17
on which is mounted a wheel 18,19. Each wheel is preferably so mounted as
to be easily detachable from its respective mounting, for example, the hub
of each wheel may be provided on the inside (not shown) with a spring loaded
plunger which engages in a circumferential groove 20 provided on each axle,
thereby to releasably retain the wheel on the axle.
To complete the mounting of the wheel struts 4, 5 to the chassis 1, an
angled sheet metal clamping bracket 21 is provided which fits in the channel
3û on the underside of the extruded chassis member 1 in spaced relation to the
inclined side walls 2, 3 so as to define a parallel sided socket 22, 23 ~see
Figure 9) defined on one side by the inclined sidewalls 2, 3 and on the other
by the bracket 21, and into which are received the proximal ends of the two
extrusions 6, 7 forming the wheel struts 4, 5 to be pivotally secured therein
35 by the pins 8, 9, 10, 11. The angle bracket 21 is fastened, e.g. by riveting, to the underside of the chassis as at 24.
1 3 t ~ 1 5
In the alternative cross-section for the chassis member 1 shown in
Figure 9, the bracket 21 is replaced by a Y-shaped web 25 integrally
extruded with the chassis member 1, and having its two arms Iying parallel
to the sidewalls 2, 3 to define thP parallel sided socket 22, 23 which
5 receives the proximal ends of the wheel struts, not shown in Figure 9.
To conform to the elegant, aesthetic prof ile and lightweight cons-
truction, the wheels 18, 19 are preferably solid, lightweight alloy, e.g.
aluminium castings, rather than spoked, and will generally be provided with
solid rubber tires.
Turning now to Figures 1, 4 and 6 to 8, affixed to the upper end (when
in the standing position shown in Figure 1) of the chassis member 1 is a
handle mounting bracket 26, preferably but not necessarily of moulded
plastics material, in which is pivotally mounted the handle 27 provided at Its
distal end with an angular grip portion 28.
The handle mounting bracket 26 is in two parts, a fixed part 29
fastened to the end of the chassis member 1 by the nut and bolt 30, and a
movable part 31, hinged to the fixed part 29 by the nut and bolt 32~ For
aesthetic reasons, and to protect the hinge, the nut and bolt 32 is located
within recesses on opposite sides of the handle mounting bracket and
20 covered by snap-in spring cover plates 33, 34.
In the extended position o~ the handle shown in the Figures, the two
parts 29, 31 of the hinged handle mounting bracket are locked together by a
spring loaded pin 35 slidably movable in the part 31 by the button 36 against
the bias of the spring 37. In the locked position the pin 35 engages in a
25 detent recess 38 provided in the fixed part 29, see more particularly Figure
4. As will be apparent release of the pin 35 from the detent 3~ against the
spring 37 permits the handle to pivot about the hinge axis provided by the
bolt 32 into the position shown in phantom in Figure 1, i.e. in which the
handle 27 is swung back between the wheel struts 4, 5 to lie substantially
30 parallel to the chassis member 1. During this movement the wheel struts 4,
5 are caused to pivot inwardly towards the chassis member 1 about their
respective pivots 8, 9, 10, 11 by a V-shaped tie 39 connected between the
movable part 31 of the handle mounting bracket 26 and the wheel struts 4,
5.
3~ As a result of this action, the wheel struts and wheels (if not
removed) are.caused to adopt the collapsed or folded position shown in
...
131~915
phantom in Figure 1 and 2, i.e. Iying substantially parallel to the chassis
member 1, with the wheels 18, 19 swung inwardly towards the chassis so as
to adopt the posi tion shown in phantom in Figures 1 and 2, i.e~ with the
wheels close to and on opposite sides of the end of the chassis member 1
5 remote from the handle 27.
Opening of the trolley from its collapsed or folded position is
achieved by the reverse action~
To complete the further description of the trolley, the movable part
31 of the handle mountlng bracket 26 is formed from two complementary
moulded shells 31a, 31b clamped together primarily by the nut and bolt 32,
but also by two knurled finger knobs 40, 41 threadedly mounted on the ends
of a common shaft 42. Clamped between the two shells 31a, 31b of the
movable part 31 of the handle mounting bracket 26 is the proxin~al end of
the handle 27, which is pivotally mounted between said shells by~ the pivot
pin 43. As will be apparent, the angle of the handle ~.7 relative to the
chassis member can easily be adjusted to suit the height of different users
by releasing one or other of the finger knobs 40, 41, repositioning the handle
angularly with respect to the handle mounting bracket 26, and retightening
the finger knobs 4û, 41.
As will be seen, particularly from Figures 7 and 8, the shaft 42
connecting the two knobs 4U, 41, passes through the handle 27 and is located
in two arcuate aligned guide slots 44, 45 in the two shells 31a, 31b. Two
intermediate clamping pieces 46, 47 are provided on opposite sides of the
handle to apply clamping pressure to the handle, see Figure 8. T provide
positive angular positioning of the handle 27, the opposite inside faces of the
two shells are provided with a radial array of ridges 48, which mate with a
corresponding array, or simply a roughened surface, on the corresponding
face of the clamping pieces ~16, 47.
Finally, extending fro~n the upper side of the fixed part 29 of the
handle mounting bracket 26 is an integrally formed, upwardly curved
arcuate seating 49 for the upper end of the golf bag, not shown. Similarly
mounted on the opposite end of the chassis member 1 and fastened thereto
by a nut and bolt 50 is a second moulded plastics mounting bracket 51 with a
sim;lar curved seating 52 for the lower end of the golf bag, and an upwardly
extendi.ng stop 53 which engages the bottom of the golf bag when positioned
on the trolley. Each of the curved seatings for the golf bag has a pair of
q l 5
slots 54 at each end through which a fastening strap, not shown, can be
threaded for the pun~ose of securinc~ the bc~ firmly to the trolley.
Whilst the above description relates to a preferred embodiment, it
will be apparent that numerous modifications can be made therein, e.g. in
5 the particular cross-section of the extruded members, and in other features,
without departing from the concept o~ the invention herein described, and as
hereinafter claimed.
